Shubman Gill dethrones Babar Azam to reclaim No. 1 ODI ranking spot, adds fresh dynamic to India vs Pakistan clash

Shubman Gill reclaimed the top spot after an excellent home campaign against England earlier this month.

Shubman Gill rose to the top of the ODI rankings for batters ahead of the start of the 2025 Champions Trophy as ICC released the updated chart on Wednesday. Gill surpassed Pakistan star Babar Azam, thus adding a fresh dynamic to the upcoming face-off between the two arch-rivals on Sunday in Dubai.

India's Shubman Gill celebrates after reaching his century during England ODI series earlier this month(REUTERS)

Gill reclaimed the top spot after an excellent home campaign against England earlier this month. His tally of 259 runs in three innings, comprising scores of 87, 60, and 112, at an average of 86.33, was the best by an Indian batter in the contest. This was the second time Gill claimed the top ranking in his career, previously during the ODI World Cup in 2023.

The India opener amassed 796 points to rise to the No. 1 spot, while Babar dropped to second place with 773 points. With both batters in the midst of the Champions Trophy, the face-off between India and Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium is sure to have an underlying contest. Not to forget, India captain Rohit Sharma, who scored a roaring century during that England series, remains in the third spot, 22 rating points behind the Pakistani.

Maheesh Theekshana becomes first time No. 1

Sri Lanka spinner Theekshana climbed to the top of the ICC men's ODI bowling rankings for the first time in his career as he passed Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan. After an excellent series on home soil against Australia, the former bagged the position. Still, much to his dismay, he is likely to lose the position by the end of the Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka not having qualified for the tournament.

Rashid only trails Theekshana by 11 points, while three other spin bowlers - Kuldeep Yadav (up one place to fourth), Keshav Maharaj (re-enters the rankings in sixth) and Mitchell Santner (up four rungs to seventh) - all in the top 10, will be making their appearance in the opening week of the Champions Trophy.