'King is back without playing' - Fans react as Babar Azam replaces Shubman Gill as No. 1 ODI batter

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has reclaimed the top spot among ODI batters from India's Shubman Gill in the latest rankings updated on Wednesday, December 20. Gill's absence from the ongoing ODI series against South Africa is the reason for the shake-up. With 824 rating points, Babar currently sits at the No. 1 spot, while the Indian opener is close behind with 810 points.

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Pakistan's star batter was at the top spot for a long time before a flop show in the 2023 ODI World Cup helped Gill enthrone him. Notably, Pakistan have not played an ODI since their last league-stage match against England on November 11. Meanwhile, Babar's Test ranking has dropped as he slipped to fifth place. 

Veteran India batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remained at the third and fourth positions, meaning three Indian players in the top 5 batting rankings. Australia's opening batter David Warner is at No. 5 with 745 points. 

Ravi Bishnoi slipped from No. 1 to the third position in T20I rankings

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India's young spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who achieved the massive feat of being the No.1 T20 bowler in the previous rankings, was outclassed by Adil Rashid. The English spinner won the title for the first time after being rewarded for his excellent performance against the West Indies. Rashid became the second England player to hold the top ranking among T20I bowlers after off-spinner Graeme Swann held the position more than a decade ago.

Bishnoi slipped to No.3, while Afghanistan's spin wizard Rashid Khan took the second spot. Notably, no other Indian bowler has made it to the top ten. South Africa's Keshav Maharaj is the top-ranked ODI bowler, followed by Josh Hazlewood and Mohammed Siraj at the second and third positions. 

Here's how fans reacted to Babar Azam becoming the new No. 1 ODI batter:

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Babar be like: rank is temporary but being King is permanent ❤️#IPLAuction #IPL2024

— LalNabi (@lal_nabi) December 20, 2023

Isko No. 1 pe dekh ke wese maza aata hai.. 😂😂

— Papun Kr. Patra 🇮🇳 (@PapunKPatra) December 20, 2023

Pakistan fans right now - pic.twitter.com/KoYeirvBEu

— VJ (@VJsGamer) December 20, 2023

King is back at number one without playing 😃

— Haya (@oky_haya) December 20, 2023

Shubman Gill gifted him the number 1 for some days😂🤣

— Listen (@listen_virat) December 20, 2023

King is back on his real throne💖😍

— Sporty Girl (@Sporty_Girl360) December 20, 2023

Justice for Gill

— Ayyappan (@Ayyappan_1504) December 20, 2023

The only way he could've reached no.1 spot was if gill was rested 😂😭 Kahe ka number 1 😂

— Aarushi Joshi (@Aarushijoshii) December 20, 2023

Bobsy the king scored 21 and 14 runs to get this number one spot 😭😭😭😭😭

— TMS 🇮🇳 (@TMS205) December 20, 2023