Kohli narrows gap to Gill atop ICC ODI rankings after unbeaten 139
Virat Kohli closed in on Shubman Gill at the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings after an unbeaten 139 in the series opener against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on September 30, 2026, moving to No.2 with 796 rating points, 20 behind Gill's 816.
Kohli's 139 not out off 88 balls was his 55th ODI century and took him past 15,000 runs in the format; the innings helped India chase 296 with 50 balls to spare in the game in which Shubman Gill also scored a century.
The move has shifted the recent rankings dynamics: Kohli's latest surge places him ahead of Daryl Mitchell, who sits third on 794 points, and marks Kohli's highest rating since July 2022. Earlier this year Kohli returned to No.1 after more than four years away, reclaiming the summit in January following a 93 against New Zealand in Vadodara that was part of a run including scores of 74 not out, 135, 102 and 65 not out.
Kohli's rise in the latest update was a 29-point increase that drew him within striking distance of Gill, with Mitchell only two points adrift of the India batter. Other movements in the list saw Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis climb to a career-best seventh after his 121 against England, while Harry Brook moved up to 11th.
The timing of Kohli's form coincides with the run-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; India have already secured qualification. Kohli has confirmed the 2027 edition will be his final World Cup for India and is concentrating on the 50-over format after retiring from Tests and T20Is.
India face a demanding task in the second ODI in Guwahati after West Indies posted 405/7, with John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo all scoring centuries, leaving India needing 406 to win. A successful chase of 406 would surpass India's current highest successful ODI chase of 362/1 against Australia in Jaipur in 2013 by 44 runs.
The next immediate test for Kohli and India is that Guwahati fixture, where another substantial innings from Kohli would aid India's chase and could narrow the gap to Gill when the rankings are next updated.
