A brief disappearance of Indian cricket veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the latest ICC ODI rankings caused a stir on Wednesday. The pair, who have been mainstays in the rankings for years, were suddenly absent from the list, with Pakistan's Babar Azam and New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell moving up to fill their spots.
The rankings update, which the ICC posted on X without any mention of the change, immediately sparked a frenzy on social media. Fans and analysts alike questioned why two of the sport's biggest names had been dropped. However, the mystery was short-lived, as the ICC re-instated both players just a few hours later. The cricket body has yet to provide an official explanation for the glitch, which saw Rohit reclaim his second-place spot from Babar and Kohli return to fourth, pushing Mitchell back to fifth.
The incident has highlighted the status of Kohli and Rohit's international careers. Both players have retired from T20Is and Test cricket—Rohit retired from Tests during the 2025 IPL, while Kohli announced his decision at the end of the season. With ODIs being the only format they are still active in, the infrequency of these matches has led to speculation about their future and whether they will feature in India's plans for the 2027 World Cup.
So, do players just disappear from the ICC rankings? According to ICC rules, a player can be removed from the top 100 spots if they haven't played a match within a qualifying period (9-12 months for ODIs). Players are also removed permanently from the rankings in a format if they retire from it. This is why Kohli and Rohit are no longer on the Test and T20I rankings lists, but their brief removal from the ODI rankings remains a puzzle.
The last time the two legends played an international match was in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand on March 9, a game India won by four wickets. Rohit was named Player of the Match for his blistering 76 runs. While the duo's careers are winding down, their re-appearance on the ranking list confirms they are still very much a part of the ODI scene for now.
