Rohit Sharma sets sights on No.1 spot in ICC ODI rankings, but Babar Azam holds advantage with favorable schedule

India captain Rohit Sharma is making steady progress towards dethroning Pakistan skipper Babar Azam from the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings. In the latest rankings released on Wednesday, Rohit has surpassed teammate Shubman Gill to claim the second position, just behind Babar. This development sets the stage for an exciting rivalry between the two captains as they compete for the top spot in the rankings.

India lost the three-match series 0-2 but Rohit scored 157 runs, including two half-centuries, at an average of 52.33. The opening match of the series ended in a tie. Shubman Gill slipped one spot to third, while Virat Kohli remained static at No.4 in the rankings.

Babar Azam is currently leading the charts with 824 rating points, while Rohit has 765 points. Rohit doesn't have a realistic chance to topple Babar from the top spot as India don't have any ODI scheduled before the three matches against England next year.

The other Indian in the top-20 is Shreyas Iyer at 16th, while KL Rahul is placed 21st after dropping one spot.

Bumrah at No.8 in bowlers' rankings

Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav remained the top-ranked Indian at fourth spot in the bowling rankings, trailing top-ranked South African spinner Keshav Maharaj, Australia's Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa, who occupy the top-three spots.

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah remained stationary at eighth, while Mohammed Siraj slipped five spots to occupy the joint ninth position with New Zealand's Trent Boult.

Senior seamer Mohammed Shami is ranked 12th. The 33-year-old is currently rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru following an ankle surgery and is expected to be back for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai and Kanpur next month.

Washington Sundar, India's highest wicket-taker during the Sri Lanka ODIs (5 wickets, 3 matches), has risen 10 places to 87th spot.

Ravindra Jadeja remains the highest-placed Indian in the all-rounders' section at 16th spot, while Hardik Pandya has dropped four places to 26th.

Team India sits at the summit of the ODI rankings with 118 rating points, while Australia are second at 116, followed by South Africa (112).

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