Virat Kohli is expected to make his international comeback in the three-match ODI series vs England after missing matches vs Afghanistan due to injury.
Published: June 24, 2026, 2:42 PM IST
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Shubman Gill (left) and Virat Kohli. (Photo: IANS)
India vs England 2026 ODI: Former India captain Virat Kohli is all set to make a comeback in international cricket in the three-match ODI series against England beginning on July 14. Kohli had to miss the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury and paid the price for it by losing his number two position in the ICC ODI rankings.
Kohli’s loss proved to be ODI captain Shubman Gill’s gain as he ascended to the number two place in the latest ODI rankings announced on Wednesday. Gill rose three spots to move to the second spot in place of Kohli while New Zealand pacer Matt Henry has joined Jasprit Bumrah as the world’s top ranked bowler in Test cricket after his 11-wicket haul in the second Test win.
Gill is now only behind New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell by 24 rating points as the Indian ODI skipper benefitted from back-to-back scored of 84 and 154 against Afghanistan in the 3-0 series whitewash. He wasn’t needed to bat in the third and final ODI in Chennai last week as his side won by 9 wickets.
The Indian ODI skipper now has 791 rating points as compared to 815 of Daryl Mitchell. Kohli now has 768 points while former captain Rohit Sharma remained static at 4th position with 754 points. Indian batters now hold 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in the latest ODI rankings.
Ishan Kishan takes big jump
Sunrisers Hyderabad and Jharkhand wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan was the big gainer in the ODI series vs Afghanistan. His century in the second ODI in Lucknow, helped him move up 21 positions to reach 43rd place among batters while three Indian bowlers also made big gains in the latest rankings.
Kishan was making a comeback into the Indian ODI playing 11 for the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh moved up 16 positions to reach 22nd, Prasidh Krishna climbed 34 places to get to 58th while all-rounder Washington Sundar rose 17 spots to reach joint 71st.
India’s new T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer also moved up a spot to 14th but KL Rahul slipped a couple of places to be ranked 11th.
Henry, who took five wickets each in New Zealand’s huge victory of 253 runs in the second Test against England, rose to the No. 1 position to share the spot with Bumrah. It is after 36 years that a New Zealand fast bowler has become the world No. 1 Test bowler after Jack Cowie and Richard Hadlee.
He becomes just the third New Zealander to become the top ranked Test bowler as the 34-year-old joins India seamer Jasprit Bumrah at the top. Bumrah had occupied top position since overtaking Kagiso Rabada in November 2024.
Henry joins Jack Cowie (1947) and Richard Hadlee (1984-1990) as New Zealanders to hold the No. 1 ranking for bowlers in Test cricket.
England’s stand-in Test skipper Joe Root also rose two spots to reclaim No. 1 ranking in Tests batters.
