- By Himanshu Badola
- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 02:31 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
ICC ODI Rankings: New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell is one of the most consistent batters around in ODI cricket, and his remarkable performance helped his side register a historic series win against India. New Zealand won their first-ever ODI series in India, beating the hosts 2-1. On the back of his consistent performances, Mitchell has now become the no.1 ODI batter in the world.
Mitchell displaced India's legendary batter Virat Kohli to take over the top spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings. The right-handed batter had a memorable outing in the three-match series against India, having smashed a fifty and a couple of centuries. Mitchell has been an outstanding performer against the Men in Blue in the ODI format and recently smashed his ninth century in the format during the third and final match of the series.
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This was his fourth ODI century against India as New Zealand registered a 41-run win in the decider, with Virat Kohli's 54th ODI ton going in vain. Mitchell also had become the fourth-fastest male to nine one-day international hundreds all time, coming in just his 54th batting innings, sitting behind only Imam-ul-Haq (48), Hashim Amla (52) and Quinton de Kock (53). Kohli was the home side’s main point of resistance during the run chase, smashing 124 off 108 deliveries. His knock was bettered only by Mitchell’s, who belted 137 from 131 balls.
Updated ICC ODI Batters' Rankings:
Mitchell's effort of 352 runs against India is the most ever by a New Zealander in a three-match ODI series and the third-most of all time, behind only Pakistan’s Babar Azam (360 against the West Indies in 2016) and India’s Shubman Gill (360 against New Zealand in 2023). With 845 ranking points, he replaces Kohli (795 points), who drops to No.2 on the list in the latest rankings release. The pair sit well clear of a chasing pack that includes Ibrahim Zadran, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and the aforementioned Babar.
It is the second time Mitchell has held the No.1 ranking in ODI cricket, but his previous spell at the top only lasted three days last November before he was overtaken by Rohit.
"It's really nice to contribute to the team, and to win over here in India is very special for our group. I love playing for my country, and it took a little while to get here, but I look at all those years. Domestic cricket allowed me to learn my game and then work out how I want to go about it once I got the silver fern on my chest. Just really proud to be part of this group, and it's pretty cool," Mitchell said after being adjudged as the Player of the Series.