Latest rankings for ODI batsmen released, Pandya breaks into top 50 for 1st time

Cricket Desk: India skipper Virat Kohli has consolidated his No.1 spot in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings.

India captain Virat Kohli’s two half-centuries in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia have cemented his spot at the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Despite missing the ODI series owing to a hamstring injury, his compatriot Rohit Sharma remains at number two, five points ahead of Babar Azam who is third. 

During the first ODI in Sydney, India batsman Hardik Pandya missed out narrowly on becoming the third batsman to score a century in the match following Australia's Aaron Finch and Steve Smith.

Playing his first ODI since the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, Pandya struck 90 in the first game and 92 not out in the third to make his first appearance in the top 50 at 49th place with a career-best of 553 points. 

🔸 One 💯, two fifties
🏏 249 runs at 83

Australia captain Aaron Finch, who was the top run-scorer in the #AUSvIND ODIs, has moved into the top five in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings 🙌 pic.twitter.com/U2ZSH5fDCW

— ICC (@ICC) December 10, 2020

From the Australian camp, skipper Aaron Finch’s innings of 114 in the first ODI, followed by scores of 60 and 75 helped him up to a career-best tally of 791 points and puts him at No.5, just behind his best of fourth achieved in June 2019. Steve Smith’s pair of 62-ball centuries in the first two matches enabled him to move back into the top 20 ODI batsmen for the first time since 2018.

He is currently at No.15 with 707 points. Glenn Maxwell’s 167 runs in the series came at a strike rate of 194.18 and featured two half-centuries, pushing him back up to No.20. This is the first time he has been in the top 20 since February 2017. 

In a series dominated by batsmen, Adam Zampa made a big impact with the ball, enabling him entry into the top 20 ODI bowlers for the first time. Zampa’s seven wickets at 23 took him to 14th position with a career-best 623 points. Josh Hazlewood took six wickets and moved up a place to No.6.