An unusual situation arose when the ICC ODI batting rankings were released on Wednesday, as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were notably absent. This surprising turn of events caused immediate confusion among fans. The two star Indian batsmen, who had previously been ranked at No. 2 and No. 4, had dropped out of the Top 100, leading to widespread speculation.
The absence of the prominent Indian batters raised questions about whether this was a deliberate decision or a technical mistake.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from the Test and T20 formats, focusing their efforts on ODIs. Their last ODI appearance was in the ICC Champions Trophy, held in the UAE in February 2025, where India won. Before the rankings were altered, Rohit Sharma held the second position, just behind Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli was in the fourth spot. However, in the revised rankings, Babar Azam had taken Rohit Sharma’s position.
With no initial comment from the ICC, many assumed it was a system error. An ICC spokesperson confirmed that there was an error, but it was quickly rectified.