In a development that left cricket fans baffled the world over, Indian cricket stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were removed from the latest ICC ODI batting rankings released on Wednesday. Only a week ago, Rohit was ranked No. 2 and Kohli No. 4.
According to the August 20 update, neither player featured even in the top 100. This sparked widespread speculation about their retirement across the social media. The sudden disappearance of the two batsmen from the rankings came despite the fact that both are still active in the ODI format. The ICC later clarified that it was due to a technical glitch that the names of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma went missing from the ICC list.
“A number of issues in this week's rankings are currently being investigated," the ICC said. Both the names have since been added. Rohit is currently ranked No. 2, while Kohli is no. 4.
Both Rohit and Kohli last played ODIs in February 2025 during the ICC Champions Trophy in the UAE, where they played crucial roles in India’s title-winning campaign. Rohit scored a match-winning knock in the final, helping India lift their first ODI ICC trophy in a decade. Kohli too was in great form during the group stages as he anchored the Indian innings in challenging conditions, particularly at the spin-friendly Dubai International Stadium.
Until last week’s update, Rohit was second only to Shubman Gill in the ICC ODI batting charts, while Kohli occupied the fourth spot with 736 rating points. With Wednesday’s rankings, Babar Azam has now moved up to No. 2 behind Gill.
The abrupt removal of the two icons led to a wave of fan reactions online, with #RohitSharma and #ViratKohli trending on X as users speculated whether this was an oversight, a technical glitch or a miscommunication from the ICC.
In the other ICC rankings, India wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has slipped to the third place, while South African left-arm spinner Kehsav Maharaj has reclaimed the top position by overtaking Kuldeep and Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana. Ravindra Jadeja is the only other Indian bowler in the Top 10 in the updated list. The Indian team has not played an ODI match since their Champions Trophy title.
In the men’s batting rankings, Shubman Gill continues to top the list with 784 points with Shreyas Iyer being the other Indian in the top 10 at sixth position.
In the men's T20I rankings, India's Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma remained on the top two places with skipper Suryakumar Yadav on the sixth spot and Yashasvi Jaiswal occupying the 10th position.
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