New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell has surged to the top of the ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings, overtaking India's Virat Kohli after a spectacular three-match
ODI series against the hosts.
Mitchell now holds the No. 1 spot with a rating of 845 points, surpassing Kohli's 795, becoming the first New Zealander to claim the summit position since Kane Williamson in 2018, after a gap of eight years.
The 34-year-old's rise was powered by an extraordinary series haul of 352 runs at an average of 176 and a strike rate of 110.3 - the third-highest aggregate in any three-match bilateral ODI series. His consistency against India has been remarkable throughout the tour.
In the series opener in Vadodara, Mitchell top-scored with a fluent 84 off 71 balls, striking seven boundaries and two sixes to anchor New Zealand's 300/8 total despite a mid-innings wobble. Although India chased the target, his knock set the tone for what followed.
The second ODI in Rajkot saw Mitchell deliver an unbeaten 131 off 117 deliveries, featuring 11 fours and two sixes. Coming together with Will Young for a 162-run stand, he survived an early chance on 80 before completing his eighth ODI century, guiding New Zealand to a comfortable seven-wicket victory.
The decider in Indore proved to be Mitchell's defining innings: an explosive 137 off 131 balls, studded with 15 boundaries and three sixes. Walking in at 47/3, he built a match-winning 180-run partnership with Glenn Phillips, powering New Zealand to 338 and securing a historic 2-1 series victory - their first ODI series win in India since 1988.
This knock marked his fourth ODI score of 130 or more, equalling Martin Guptill's New Zealand record, and extended his streak to five consecutive 50-plus scores against India on Indian soil - a first for any batter. Overall, Mitchell has amassed 741 runs in 11 ODI innings against India at an average of 74.1, including four centuries and three fifties.
Virat Kohli also had a decent series as he scored a fifty and then a century in the final match. Kohli scored 93 in Vadodara, which came in the winning cause for the Indian team, but Mitchell's serial big scores have earned him the summit spot.
