Shubman Gill was in his elements in the third India vs England ODI as the 25-year-old batter struck fine century to extend his purple patch. Going into the Champions Trophy 2025, Gill’s scores of 87, 60 and 112 will augur well for the Indian team which is battling with off form of several senior players. Even star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is ruled out due to injury. In such a scenario, the performances and form of the likes of Shubman Gill is extra crucial for the Rohit Sharma-led side. Against England on Wednesday, Shubman Gill mixed caution with aggression and stitched crucial stands with Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer.
Gill reached the triple figure mark in just 95 balls and with it became the first Indian player to score a century in his 50th ODI. Gill is also the the quickest in terms of innings (50) to seven ODI centuries. Gill is the fifth cricketer and the first Indian to score a century at a venue in all three formats.
Hundred at a venue in all three formats
Faf du Plessis – Wanderers, Johannesburg
David Warner – Adelaide Oval
Babar Azam – National Stadium, Karachi
Quinton de Kock – Supersport Park, Centurion
Shubman Gill – Motera, Ahmedabad
With just a week left for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are closing in on the top spot in the ICC men’s ODI player rankings.
The latest rankings update saw Pakistan captain Babar Azam maintaining his position at No. 1, but the Indian duo are closing in following good efforts during the ODI series against England.
Gill gained one place to move to second on the latest ODI batter rankings and is just five rating points adrift of Babar after back-to-back half-centuries against England, while Rohit, sitting third, is within 13 rating points of the Pakistan right-hander following his splendid century in Cuttack.
Several other prominent batters have re-entered the ODI rankings as teams prepare for the marquee ICC event. Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman is ranked 13th, while New Zealand’s Kane Williamson (29th), England’s Jos Buttler (38th), Devon Conway (40th), and Joe Root (51st) have also made their way back into the standings after their return to 50-over cricket.
The competition among bowlers is just as fierce, with just 18 rating points separating Rashid Khan, Maheesh Theekshana, Bernard Scholtz, Shaheen Afridi and Kuldeep Yadav inside the top five for ODI bowlers.
Meanwhile, Indian all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (11th) and Mohammed Shami (13th) have climbed the rankings following strong performances in the England series.
Afghanistan veteran Mohammad Nabi maintains a narrow lead at the top of the ODI rankings for all-rounders, with New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner (up two places to seventh) among the biggest movers this week.
The latest Test rankings have also seen significant movement after Australia’s Test series win over Sri Lanka in Galle and Ireland’s victory against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
With IANS inputs
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