Shubman Gill Overtakes Babar Azam to Become World No.1 ODI Batter | ICC ODI Rankings 2025

Earlier today, Shubman Gill dethroned Pakistan’s Babar Azam as the No.1 ranked ODI batsman in the latest ICC ODI rankings. ICC revealed the latest rankings just ahead of the start of the eight-team Champions Trophy in Karachi with the match between Pakistan and New Zealand.

Shubman Gill has officially climbed to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings, dethroning Babar Azam in the process. After a stellar showing in the recent three-match series against England at home – where he notched up two fifties and a century – Gill now sits at No. 1 with 796 rating points, ahead of Babar’s 773. India captain Rohit Sharma follows in third place with 761 points, while South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell round out the top five. Gill’s meteoric rise in the rankings is a direct result of his consistency throughout the England series.  

Shubman Gill was in a league of his own during the ODI series against England, finishing as the top run-scorer with knocks of 87, 60, and a superb 112. His tally of 259 runs came at a staggering average of 86.33 and a brisk strike rate of 103.60. To put his dominance into perspective, the next best scorer, Shreyas Iyer, was a distant second with 181 runs – a full 78 runs behind Gill. 

At just 25 years old, Gill’s latest achievement is one for the history books. By scoring a half-century or more in all three matches, he became only the seventh Indian batter to do so in a three-match bilateral ODI series. Even more impressively, he’s the first Indian to accomplish this feat against England. His ODI career so far has been nothing short of extraordinary. With seven centuries in just 50 matches, Gill now holds the record for the most hundreds by an Indian batter at this stage of their career. 

“This is the second time Gill has held the No.1 ranking in ODI cricket, with the India batter having also gone past Babar to claim top spot midway through the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023,” ICC stated after the latest ODI Rankings were released. “Gill has been in excellent form of late, with his century against England in Ahmedabad during the third ODI of the recently concluded series enough to catapult the 25-year-old to the top of the rankings,” the global governing body added. 

As India gears up to kick off their ICC Champions Trophy campaign tomorrow against Bangladesh in Dubai, all eyes are on their newly appointed vice-captain and the world's top-ranked ODI batter. Fans of the ‘Men in Blue’ are hoping Shubman Gill can carry his red-hot form into the tournament and be a driving force for the team. India faces a challenging group stage, with clashes against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand lined up. With high expectations and fierce competition ahead, Gill’s form could be the key to India's success in the tournament.