Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam has surpassed Virat Kohli in the latest ICC ODI rankings to reach the numero uno position. Having been known for his consistency, Virat Kohli held the position for a record 1258 days before a slight dip in form coincided with Babar’s sensational run led to his downfall.
Kohli has not been as highly involved in ODIs in the recent past, whereas his recent most ODI assignment – a three-match ODI series against England at home last month – did not materialize with the kind of consistency he is known for.
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On other hand, Azam has been in a phenomenal form during the South Africa series. He was in fine form in all three ODIs as his scores read 103, 31, and 94, totaling 228 runs at an impressive 76. Azam’s match-winning knock 82-ball 94 in the final ODI, helped him gain 13 points in the rankings to reach a career-best 865, while Kohli, with 857, is now second. At a distant third comes India’s Rohit Sharma (825 points).
Here is the video of Babar Azam’s century celebration:
Meanwhile, former Indian opener, Wasim Jaffer has successfully found a funny side of the situation. As Babar became only the fourth Pakistan batsman to reach the no.1 spot in the ICC rankings after Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003), Jaffer congratulated the batsman as he took a cheeky dig at the same time.
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Responding to ICC Media’s official Twitter handle with a wink, Wasim Jaffer wrote “Congratulations @babarazam258, well deserved. But don’t get too comfy at the top, you know how much Virat Kohli loves chasing #ICCRankings,”.
Congratulations @babarazam258, well deserved. But don't get too comfy at the top, you know how much Virat Kohli loves chasing 😉 #ICCRankings https://t.co/Zl2i8DFHG8
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) April 14, 2021
For the moment, Babar Azam is leading Pakistan against the same opposition in a four-match T20I series, which is drawn 1-1 currently, with two more games to be played, whereas Kohli is leading his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing 14th edition of the Indian Premier League.
