Rohit closes gap on Babar in ICC rankings

He is currently in action for India against Sri Lanka

captain, Rohit Sharma, has been recognized for his recent stellar performances with the bat, closing in on Pakistan's Babar Azam at the top of the ICC Men's ODI Batter Rankings.

Sharma leads the run-scoring charts in the first two matches of India's three-match series against Sri Lanka, scoring two half-centuries and amassing 122 runs at a striking rate of 134.06.

The 37-year-old scored a rapid 64 in the second game of the series in Colombo, boosting his ODI batter ranking to third place with 763 rating points, just 61 points behind Babar Azam.

Shubman Gill remains in second place despite scoring only 51 runs in the first two matches against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Axar Patel's 77 runs in the series have propelled him up 35 places to 178th in the ODI batter rankings.

From the Sri Lankan camp, Janith Liyanage has climbed 10 spots to 76th, and opener Avishka Fernando has moved up nine places to 88th in the rankings.

The latest update also saw significant movements in the ODI bowler rankings. India's spinner Kuldeep Yadav advanced five places to fourth after taking three wickets in two matches against Sri Lanka, including figures of 2/33 in the second match. Sri Lanka's young spinner Dunith Wellalage rose five spots to 76th, and Axar Patel improved 37 places to 96th with his 1/36 in the second match.

Additionally, India all-rounder Washington Sundar and Sri Lanka spinner Jeffrey Vandersay made considerable gains. Sundar jumped 45 places to 97th after his three-wicket haul in the second match, while Vandersay soared 64 spots to 105th following his impressive six-wicket performance in the same game.

Thakur unhappy

India's all-rounder Shardul Thakur recently shed light on the difficult conditions the Indian cricket team faced during their tour of Australia in 2020-21. Despite these challenges, India achieved a historic 2-1 series win against Australia.

The tour started on a rough note with a heavy defeat in the first Test in Adelaide. However, India made a remarkable comeback, winning the second Test in Melbourne, drawing the third in Sydney, and clinching a memorable victory at the Gabba.

Shardul Thakur shared details about the hardships the team faced.

"The way they treated us was very horrible. For four or five days there won't be any housekeeping services in the hotel. You want to change your bed sheets, you would have to walk up the stairs for four or five floors, get the bed sheets. When you're tired, come change it, do your own things," Shardul said.

The difficulties didn't stop there. After Virat Kohli left the tour and Ajinkya Rahane took over as captain, head coach Ravi Shastri had frequent clashes with Cricket Australia to secure better conditions for the team.