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How Did Virat Kohli Jump 12 Rating Points In ICC Rankings Despite T20I Retirement?

Abhinav Tyagi

Virat Kohli T20Is - (Source :@Johns/X.com)Virat Kohli T20Is - (Source :@Johns/X.com)

On Wednesday, July 16, the ICC updated its weekly ranking charts, where Joe Root reclaimed the No.1 Test batter spot following a century at Lord's, while Indian players suffered a decline.

Interestingly, Virat Kohli hogged the internet as the right-handed batter saw a change in his T20I ratings, which jumped from 897 to 909. The news shocked fans as Virat announced his retirement from the shortest format of the match on June 29, 2024. 

Notably, Virat hasn't played a T20I for over a year, which made the fans question how the change happened.

How Did Virat Kohli's Rating Jump From 897 to 909?

Firstly, the rise in Virat's T20I rating to above 900 has made him the first-ever player in the history of the game to have a 900+ rating across all formats. Now coming to how this all happened, then the fans must be assured that there is no technical error, nor has Virat's any recent on-field performance impacted his T20I rating. 

Notably, historical revision is a regular process by the ICC, where the International Cricket Council updates its official records across formats, after reviewing historical match data and recalculating rating points awarded for individual performances.

ICC Revises Ranking Methodology

Such adjustments typically occur when the ICC make changes to their ranking methodology, corrects scorecard data, or bring in new ranking policies, resulting in change of rating points for cricketers. Thus, a similar process is expected to have happened recently, where the Jay Shah-governed ICC must have amended their recent policies. 

It is a regular process and not just Virat Kohli, but several other players too experience a rise or decline in their career-best rating. However, the recent change in Virat's rating resulted in a huge milestone, making him the first player with a 900+ rating across formats, which is why this latest revision by the ICC has hogged headlines.