Daryl Mitchell's Rankings Climb: Kohli Outshone

When Daryl Mitchell stood under a skied Virat Kohli drive, he quite fittingly had New Zealand’s hopes of securing their first bilateral series win in India resting squarely in his hands. Kohli was the hosts’ last remaining realistic avenue to completing an improbable series-saving run chase. But Mitchell stood confidently inside the long on boundary, and stood firm. He secured the catch, just like he has seemingly grabbed every other opportunity he's been made to earn since bursting onto the international scene more recently than what logic would indicate. It was Daryl Mitchell’s ninth ODI ton that had put the Black Caps in a winning position earlier that day, with the series in the balance at 1-1 going into the decider in Indore. When the 34-year-old completed a quick single to achieve this latest milestone, he would also become the fourth-fastest male to nine one-day international hundreds all time, coming in just his 54th batting innings, sitting behind only Imam-ul-Haq (48), Hashim Amla (52) and Quinton de Kock (53). The Hamilton product is in the form of his life, scoring 352 runs across the three-game series. He was Player of the Match in game two as well, scoring an unbeaten 131 off 117 balls to help the Black Caps first level the series they would go on to win. And in a losing effort in game one, Mitchell was also the Kiwis’ top-scorer in that contest as well, hitting 84 off 71. Mitchell’s two consecutive scores of 130-plus not only puts him level with Martin Guptill for the most in New Zealand’s ODI history (four), but it also rounds out his meteoric rise to top spot in the ICC’s ODI Batting Rankings. With 845 ranking points, he aptly replaces Kohli (795 points) who drops to No.2 on the list in the latest rankings release. The pair sit well clear of a chasing pack that includes Ibrahim Zadran, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and the aforementioned Babar. It is the second time Mitchell has held the No.1 ranking in ODI cricket, but his previous spell at the top only lasted three days last November before he was overtaken by Rohit. Only South African AB de Villiers has more ODI centuries in India against India (five) than Mitchell now does (four). In 54 innings, Mitchell is still yet to record an ODI duck, which is the second-longest all-time streak, behind only Kepler Wessels, who was astonishingly never removed for naught across his 105 ODI innings between 1983 and 1994. What makes the Kiwi’s cricketing rise so unique is the fact he only emerged on the international scene as a 28-year-old in February 2019, against India in Wellington. His Test debut came later that year, aged 29, when England toured New Zealand. And his first One-Day International appearance for the Black Caps wasn’t until he was 30, two years after he first tasted international cricket in the game’s shorter format. The son of notable rugby coach John, who is currently in charge of England’s World Cup-winning Women’s side, Mitchell toiled for much of his 20s, accumulating over 200 games worth of domestic experience in his homeland. He had previously spent several formative years living in Perth when his dad coached at Super Rugby franchise the Western Force, playing cricket with the likes of Australia internationals Andrew Tye, Marcus Harris and Marcus Stoinis during that stretch. Mitchell in fact shared first-grade premiership glory with Stoinis and Justin Langer for Perth’s Scarborough Cricket Club in 2009, 10 years before he would go on to make his international debut for the Black Caps. Details around his journey help explain how the right-hander has become one of the most consistent, adaptable and bankable batters in world cricket. Daryl Mitchell is now One-Day cricket’s top-ranked batter, but he is also a gold standard example of persistence paying off. He has left an indelible mark on the game and he is certainly not done yet. New Zealand's Michael Bracewell was the big mover in the ODI bowling rankings, jumping six spots to 33rd after his returns in the first two games of the India series. The top of the bowling ranks remain unchanged, with Afghanistan star Rashid Khan (710 points) remaining the clear frontrunner ahead of England speedster Jofra Archer (670 points). Rashid also moves up two spots to second on the latest rankings for T20I bowlers, following his two-wicket haul for Afghanistan in the opening match of their series against the West Indies in Dubai. Teammate Mujeeb Ur Rahman (up two spots to equal 14th) also makes gains on this list for bowlers, while compatriot Ibrahim Zadran (up five places to 15th) is the big mover up the latest rankings for T20I batters.