By Admin 
It is a matter of happiness for Indian cricket fans that Virat Kohli has once again achieved the number-1 position in the ICC ODI batsman rankings. However, this happiness does not seem to last long. The reason is New Zealand’s star batsman Daryl Mitchell, who is trailing just one point behind Kohli. In such a situation, the upcoming match will decide whether the ranking crown will remain on Virat’s head or will go to someone else.
Became number-1 but pressure also increased
Virat Kohli has looked in great form in recent times. In the first ODI against New Zealand, he played a responsible innings and scored 93 runs. On the basis of this innings, he again reached number-1 in the ICC ODI rankings. It was special for Kohli to achieve this position after a long time, because he was not at the top in this list for the last few years.
However, Kohli’s bat did not perform much in the second ODI and he returned to the pavilion after scoring only 23 runs. This low score had a direct impact on his ranking and his position at number 1 was in danger.
Daryl Mitchell increased the tension
New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell is in tremendous form at the moment. In the first ODI, he scored a quick 84 runs and made a huge jump in the rankings. After this, in the second ODI, Mitchell took the Indian bowlers seriously and scored an unbeaten 131 runs. With this innings, he came just one point behind Virat in the rankings.
Currently, Kohli has 785 rating points, while Mitchell has 784 points in his account. That means the difference of only one point and the third ODI will decide who will be the next number-1 batsman.
Rohit Sharma also got a shock
Indian captain Rohit Sharma has also suffered a loss in this ranking update. He has slipped two places and reached third place. In such a situation, the upcoming matches are going to prove to be very important for the Indian batsmen.
Kohli’s great record
Virat Kohli’s dominance in ODI cricket is not hidden from anyone. This is the 11th time that he has worn the crown of number-1 ODI batsman. He achieved this feat for the first time in 2013. Till now, he has been number-1 in the ODI rankings for more than 800 days, which is a big achievement for any Indian batsman. Now all eyes are on the third ODI, where Virat Kohli will have the challenge of not only scoring runs but also saving his crown.