Cricket fans worldwide were left startled and in shock as India stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were abruptly removed from the ICC ODI Men’s Batting Rankings on Wednesday. Rohit and Kohli were ranked No. 2 and No. 4 respectively in the rankings, having held spots in the top 10 for a long time. However, in the early hours on Wednesday, several fans noticed that both batters had been removed from the top 10, and did not even feature in the top 100, even sparking rumours of the duo announcing their retirement from the format.
As recently as the previous week, Rohit and Kohli were firmly in the top 10. In fact, Rohit had gone up a spot from No. 3 to No. 2 after Babar Azam endured a poor ODI series against West Indies.
India’s Shubman Gill continues to hold the No. 1 rank, while the sudden removal of Rohit and Kohli has bumped Shreyas Iyer up to No. 6 from No. 8.
Why exactly Rohit and Kohli have been removed is not yet known. The players are yet to formally announce their retirement, nor have they been inactive for a long duration. Both were part of India’s victorious Champions Trophy 2025 squad this year.
However, this comes amidst growing speculation on the futures of Rohit and Kohli in ODI cricket. After a young Indian team impressed under the captaincy of Shubman Gill in an away Test series against England, drawing 2-2, reports have been rife about whether the veteran duo have a guaranteed spot in ODIs anymore.
The sudden occurrence has led to several fans speculating on the possible retirements of Rohit and Kohli.
Both Rohit And Virat removed From Icc ODI Rankings , What Can Be The Reason…
Retirement Loading? pic.twitter.com/7brI3F1bjT
— GODZILLA (@Godzilla980) August 20, 2025
No Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli in the Updated ICC ODI Rankings. Looks like Retirement announcement is on the cards pic.twitter.com/hDF2VaWQSh
— Ajay Ahire (@Ajayahire_cric) August 20, 2025
Someone explain… no Rohit, no Virat in ODI rankings? What’s going on here??Are they really going to retire?? My heart is not ready for this @ImRo45 @imVkohli Please don’t retire pic.twitter.com/mDukHKtTmt
— (@isharmax45) August 20, 2025
Rohit, 38, and Kohli, 36, are only active in one format now – ODIs, having announced their retirements from T20Is in 2024 and Tests earlier this year.