World best batsman: ICC rankings & composite index

Best Batsman in the World Right Now

Updated: November 9

• Per ICC batting rankings today: ODI No. 1 — Babar Azam; Test No. 1 — Kane Williamson; T20I No. 1 — Suryakumar Yadav.
• Cross-format No. 1 (our Composite Index): Virat Kohli, based on a transparent, multi-format model that blends ICC rating, last-12-months output, strike rate impact, and an away-performance factor.

The world’s best batsman is a moving target, not a monument. Form breathes, conditions shift, teams adjust. One week a player shapes a chase with surgical singles; the next he blows open a Powerplay with a sequence of audacious lofted drives. Asking for the “no 1 batsman in the world” sounds simple. Answering it properly takes more than a quick glance at an ICC page.

This page is designed to be that hub you return to. It updates weekly, fuses trusted ICC data with context, and treats batting as craft, science, and theater. You’ll find a cross-format Top 10 (with methodology), format-by-format callouts for the best ODI batsman, the best Test batsman, and the best T20 batsman, plus an evergreen lens on the greatest batsmen of all time. It is rigorous where it must be and human where it matters.

What “best batsman in the world” actually means

• There is no single format. Dominance in Tests means endurance, defensive clarity, and run-making across sessions. Limited-overs batting rewards tempo control, strike rotation, and the ability to finish games. T20 demands acceleration and boundary-access under pressure. A world best batsman straddles formats with adaptability.
• Batting is context-bound. Heavy runs at home are expected; big hundreds away, under lights, or fourth-innings salvage acts move the needle for experts. Surviving a ball that shapes at 140 kph with late movement is not the same test as teeing off on a flat deck with two men out.
• Output has to be recent. A decade of greatness is a legacy; the best batsman in the world right now is about how a player is striking the ball and scoring runs over the last twelve months, against strong attacks, in varied conditions.
• Game state matters. Chase ability in ODIs, fourth-innings composure in Tests, and Powerplay/Death roles in T20Is are different arts. The current best batsman is strong in the situations that decide matches.

Our Composite Index for the world’s best batsman

The biggest gap in the space is a transparent model that actually explains why Player A is above Player B across formats. Here’s the framework we publish and refresh each week.

Inputs

• ICC rating (format-specific): Anchors our index to a trusted, globally consistent baseline that accounts for opposition strength and match context.
• Last-12-months batting average: Measures consistency. For T20I, average is adjusted for not-outs to reflect finishing value.
• Last-12-months strike rate: Captures pressure application and tempo. In Tests, we use balls per boundary as a proxy for control and dominance rather than raw strike rate.
• Away-performance factor: A multiplier that rewards runs scored outside a player’s home region and on surfaces known to challenge their technique (swinging Dukes, early freshness with Kookaburra, reversing SG, or low/slow spin).
• Big-situation weighting: Extra credit for fourth-innings runs (Tests), second-innings chases (ODIs), Powerplay/Death overs production (T20Is).

Weights

• ICC rating: 40%
• Last-12-months average: 25%
• Last-12-months strike rate/impact: 20%
• Away-performance factor: 10%
• Big-situation weighting: 5%

Normalization

Each component is normalized to a 0–100 scale by format before blending into a cross-format composite. We track players who have faced a minimum number of balls/innings in each format to avoid noise from small samples.

Why this works

ICC contributes structural fairness; our added layers capture intent, recency, and travel toughness. That combination mirrors how teams select squads and how bowlers plan: who’s scoring now, how quickly, and in what conditions.

Cross-format Top 10: world best batsman list (Updated Weekly)

1. 1) Virat Kohli — Cross-format No. 1

   He is still the yardstick for the modern batter. The batting average remains elite in ODIs, the strike rotation ruthlessly efficient, the chase craft unmatched. In T20Is, the power chart is more selective but he builds innings smartly and reserves high gear for big games. Tests demand a different side of him: compact defense outside off, late hands under the eyes, and that surety against pace when the ball is old. Away runs and big-tournament temperament tilt the composite in his favor. Bowlers talk about the claustrophobia he creates even when he isn’t hitting fours; every ball is manipulated with intent. That, as much as the headline centuries, underpins his rank as current best batsman across formats.

2. 2) Babar Azam

   Best ODI batsman candidate by pure elegance and method, Babar’s cover drive is more than a brand—it’s a release valve that absorbs pressure early in the innings. His last-12-months ODI average holds, the strike rate sits right in the optimal lane for a top-order anchor, and he nudges T20I bowling with risk-managed strokes. Tests show periods of consolidation and revival; away form is the lever that defines his long-term ceiling. In chases, he holds his shape late; watch the way he keeps his head still when he stretches through extra cover. That’s repeatable science.

3. 3) Joe Root

   You cannot out-last Joe Root; you have to out-think him. In Tests, Root’s late dab and open bat face turn “fourth stump” into a scoring zone, not a danger area. The run-map behind square is deliberate, not cute, and it sets up manipulation later. He has also recalibrated his tempo to fit modern Test aggression without giving away control. ODIs still find him in the sweet spot as a stabilizer who can push from run-a-ball to better without obvious risk-taking. Away average ticks upward consistently. His consistency across long series drives a sky-high composite.

4. 4) Kane Williamson

   Graceful minimalism with relentless scoring rhythm. Williamson’s Test returns are peerless — soft hands, full bat face, and a glide through gully that seems impossible until he repeats it for the fourth time in a session. He reads length early, stands a leg-guard line to cover movement, and picks gaps at will. Limited-overs returns are solid; he may not detonate attacks, but he solves them. The away-performance factor keeps him high in the ranking ladder because he travels well, often on difficult surfaces, with poise. When a side is wobbling at 20 for 2, he normalizes the game.

5. 5) Rohit Sharma

   If the conversation is about all-format intent, Rohit’s playbook is the boldest. The pull shot remains the most destructive in the game — pace on, head still, base stable, front leg clearing — and it lands bowlers in defensive fields quicker than they plan. In ODIs he has switched between anchor and aggressor seamlessly. T20Is show renewed clarity: front-foot dominance in the Powerplay combined with selective lofted drives against spin. In Tests, he becomes grittier, leaving well outside off and waiting for the bowler to blink. His recent away numbers have crept up, which feeds the composite index.

6. 6) Travis Head

   Attacking instinct with a high repeatability index. Head smashes length on bouncy surfaces and never lets seamers settle into their channel. That back-foot punch through point and extra cover is a signature; he also lifts over mid-off early, an option few Test batters trust. White-ball formats suit his gear shifts: violent when required, adhesive when a platform is needed. He plays pace early and spin with horizontal bats late. The composite loves his strike-rate impact and the away-performances logged on lively surfaces.

7. 7) Suryakumar Yadav

   The best T20 batsman on the planet, with a scoring map that looks like a spider diagram from a coaching textbook gone wild. The ability to loft behind square on the off side with a straight bat at pace, and then toggle to wristy whips to fine leg, collapses fielding plans. He is not a volume Test or ODI contributor, which caps the cross-format position, but the T20I peak is so high that he still sits inside the top tier. In our model, his T20 strike-rate impact pulls heavy weight.

8. 8) Steve Smith

   The batting lab remains open. Smith’s method is different — shuffle, leg-side guard, exaggerated movement — but the outcomes are repeatable: leaves that torture bowlers, clips that race, and hands that uncurl at the perfect instant. When the surface misbehaves, he becomes a metronome. ODI contributions are steady, and while T20 returns ebb and flow, his Test stature alone keeps him in the global top ten. Few players carry more focus in a crease for longer.

9. 9) Shubman Gill

   Opening the batting in international cricket is a test of temperament; Gill’s compact setup and still head give him time others don’t have. He plays late, which helps against movement, and his off-side range turns good-length balls into scoring opportunities. In ODIs the numbers hum; he couples a high average with a boundary cadence that doesn’t spike risk. Tests are getting better away from home as he learns when to leave and when to drive hard through the line. T20I batting for him is about precise match-ups and growth, with glimpses of a higher gear.

10. 10) Aiden Markram

    Balance, poise, and a high-skill approach to strike rotation. Markram’s ODI game is complete; he’s a seam-hitter with a top hand that keeps the face open late. In T20Is he offers finishing skills without clutter and has added a second-gear lift against spin. Test runs away from home keep arriving. Leadership hasn’t dulled his batting; if anything, clarity around roles has sharpened his method across formats. He is the archetype of the best young batsmen pressing into the first rank.

Quick strengths snapshot of the current top ten

Name	Format strength	Hallmark quality	Signature scoring zone
Virat Kohli	ODI/Test	Chase craft and tempo control	Mid-wicket to extra cover, late-run manipulation
Babar Azam	ODI/T20I	High repeatability technique	Cover drive, late square drive
Joe Root	Test/ODI	Late hands, field-shape manipulation	Backward point, third man, mid-wicket
Kane Williamson	Test	Minimal movement, pure timing	Third man glide, classical straight drive
Rohit Sharma	ODI/T20I	Early aggression + pull mastery	Mid-wicket pull, lofted straight hits
Travis Head	Test/ODI	High-pace dominance, intent	Point to extra cover, mid-off loft
Suryakumar Yadav	T20I	360-degree hitting	Fine leg to deep third, extra cover loft
Steve Smith	Test	Endless concentration, unique setup	Clips through mid-wicket, late cuts
Shubman Gill	ODI/Test	Balance, late play	Off-side punches, on-drive
Aiden Markram	ODI/T20I	Balance, match-up smarts	Square cover, straight hits

Format-by-format: who is No. 1 and why

Best ODI batsman

• ICC marker: Babar Azam tops the ICC ODI batting rankings today.
• Expert view: Babar’s ODI engine is designed for control under pressure — very few leading edges, perfect body alignment on drives, and a calm reading of field placements. He starts with high-value low-risk scoring: late square drives and nudges into pockets. The strike rate builds through shot addition, not shot invention. When the ball softens, the back-foot drive and pick-up over mid-wicket arrive. In chases he runs tighter lines between overs, finding five or six singles in what looks like a dry over to the casual eye. This more than anything keeps required rates sane.

Other current elite ODI operators

• Virat Kohli: The best reader of a chase. Watch his discipline in the first ten overs — minimal flirtation outside off, high intent with running, and a mental mapping of the bowler’s end. When the spinner bowls fifth-stump, he steps in and takes the single; when mid-wicket opens, the wrist-flick to the gap is automatic. He converts starts at a rate unmatched in modern ODI cricket.
• Shubman Gill: Prime new-ball management. He covers top-of-off with a straight bat and uses a late hands-off approach to negate seam. The scoring tempo, once set, rarely drops below safe thresholds.
• Rohit Sharma: The tone-setter. He now chooses violence early more often, compressing a chase by knocking twenty off the requirement inside four overs. The pull shot punishes lengths that would be safe against most.
• Aiden Markram and Travis Head: Both conflate boundary access with strike rotation; neither is a slogger. Head wins the length battle early; Markram kills dot balls with tight hands through cover and mid-on.

Best Test batsman

• ICC marker: Kane Williamson leads the ICC Test batting rankings today.
• Expert view: Williamson is the benchmark for Test clarity. His leave is a scoring shot in disguise; it moves the bowler fuller or straighter, and then the glide or punch arrives. On slow turners he stays over the ball and works squares; on fast, seaming pitches he waits, plays late, and wears bowlers down. The hundreds he builds are not bursts — they are accruals. If you’re coaching technique, the way he stays in line against movement is a masterclass.

Other current elite Test performers

• Joe Root: Changed gears without losing shape. His switch to more proactive strokes at times doesn’t erode his defense; he still manipulates fields and bowlers with the same icy patience. When the reverse arrives, his wrists deliver damage through mid-wicket and square.
• Steve Smith: The metronome. Unconventional setup, conventional virtues: still head, soft hands, shot judgment. He passes the hour test: if you don’t remove him early, you often don’t remove him at all.
• Travis Head: Attacks good length, especially against pace. He forces captains into protection wickets, which cedes momentum to his side. On bouncy tracks he is terrifying.
• Rohit Sharma: Tempered aggression at the top. Leaves well, uses the pull as a release, and increasingly applies himself away, which lifts his away factor.

Best T20 batsman

• ICC marker: Suryakumar Yadav is No. 1 in the T20I batting rankings today.
• Expert view: The best T20 batsman is the one who expands the field to the point of panic. Suryakumar does this by picking balls no one else picks and by hitting zones no one else hits. The bowler aiming wide yorker gets scooped over backward point; the length ball at the stumps disappears over fine leg. His bat swing remains straight, even as the contact point changes. In the middle phase he targets match-ups with surgical calm. He is as responsible for the modern T20 field map as any player alive.

Other current T20 elite

• Aiden Markram: Calm under pressure, threader of gaps, and capable of a burst without premeditation. He hits strong hands through the off side, then drags the length into his arc.
• Virat Kohli: Big nights and big chases; he reads the game from ball one, then bends it late. The six-over anchor who can surge.
• Rohit Sharma: Early heat. If he gets through the first eight balls, the Powerplay returns often decide the night.
• Mohammad Rizwan (when in action): A tempo-keeper who turns dot balls into pressure relievers; a low-risk, high-output profile that complements power hitters.

Who is the best batsman across all formats?

Our composite points to Virat Kohli. The decisive edges:

• Recency with volume: A run-bank that looks obvious only because he keeps doing it.
• Chase mastery: The ODI template other batters borrow. Minimal dot balls even when the ball is relatively new; favors risk on his terms only.
• Away stability: Runs outside comfort zones remain robust, against different balls and climates.
• Big moments: When the lights brighten late, his decision-making sharpens, not loosens.

Close contenders include Babar Azam (ODI/T20I consistency with a technique that travels), Joe Root (Test weight plus ODI utility), Rohit Sharma (cross-format intent with renewed Test reliability), and Travis Head (impact spikes that flip matches).

Understanding ICC batting rankings today

The ICC system is a rolling rating that:

• Assigns a rating number to players after each match based on their innings.
• Heavily weighs runs scored, opposition strength, and match result context.
• Adjusts for not-outs and match pressure; high runs against strong attacks in tough conditions push ratings higher.
• Diminishes the weight of older performances, keeping the table fresh.

The system is elegant but format siloed. It does not compare T20 dominance to Test mastery. That is why a cross-format “current best batsman” needs additional layers beyond ICC.

How we apply the away-performance factor

Runs abroad are an acid test. We apply a multiplier that boosts innings meeting at least two of these conditions:

• Bowled with a non-home ball type that challenges the batter’s profile (Dukes swing, lively Kookaburra, or reversing SG).
• Opponent among the top tier for that format, in their home conditions.
• Batting during a new-ball or second-new-ball phase, or on a fourth-day/fifth-day surface.

This is how a gritty 80 on a seamer in overcast conditions can outshine a flat-deck 120 at home, all else equal. It brings reality closer to the numbers.

Country-by-country snapshot: best batsmen right now

• India: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma sit atop the stack for all-format influence, with Shubman Gill the heir apparent and Suryakumar Yadav the best T20 bat in the world. India’s bench churn keeps pressure on, but this quartet defines the batting shape.
• Pakistan: Babar Azam leads as the no 1 batsman in the world conversation for ODIs, supported by T20 anchors who stabilize the batting cadence. His cover drive remains a national mood.
• Australia: Travis Head is the tip of the spear; Steve Smith provides Test granite. The broader white-ball core ensures that when one fails, another erupts.
• England: Joe Root’s Test production keeps the engine humming; the white-ball set has volatility, but a ceiling as high as any.
• New Zealand: Kane Williamson continues to be the best Test batsman candidate on technique alone, and when fit he lifts the entire unit’s batting IQ.
• South Africa: Aiden Markram is the modern glue, with a power game that doesn’t sacrifice shape; he appears in the top 10 of multiple formats by eye and data.

Positional profiles: what great batters do differently

• Against high pace: Greats have still heads and pick length early. Rohit’s pull shot works because he commits to weight transfer without over-rotation. Head’s back-foot game punishes hard length. Kohli’s late contact shortens the ball.
• Against wrist spin: Suryakumar’s bat swing remains straight through the ball; he watches the seam; he hits with the spin when it’s turning away and uses the sweep only when the field invites it. Root’s sweep library is unmatched: conventional, reverse, and paddle, all with stable base and head alignment.
• In the first ten overs (ODIs): Elite openers leave on length and line, not name. Gill survives with late play and earns middle-overs freedom. Rohit forces captains into early retreat by picking one bowler to target.
• Fourth innings (Tests): Composure is oxygen. Williamson and Root do not chase balls; they pull bowlers into their zones. Kohli tightens leave percentage and plays as though the cordon is a friend, not an enemy.

Best left-handed batsman in the world right now

Travis Head leads on impact and consistency. He demolishes pace when there is bounce and keeps the scoreboard aggressive in red ball cricket without reckless risk. In ODIs he front-loads the innings; in Tests he turns the game in a session. Other southpaws like David Warner bring white-ball fireworks, but Head’s cross-format balance puts him ahead.

Best young batsmen in the world

Shubman Gill headlines, with technical stability rare at his age: head still, early judgment of off-stump, late play. Harry Brook offers the opposite profile — high-velocity scoring with clean lofts; a chaos creator in the middle order when set. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fearlessness against spin and seam announces a ceiling that could touch the top bracket; he plays with instincts and calculation in uneven doses, which is exactly how many young greats felt at a similar stage.

Most consistent batsman in the world

Consistency is time plus adaptability. Joe Root’s run-creation over long periods in all conditions remains the global standard in Tests. In ODIs, Virat Kohli’s low-variance scoring — anchored by relentless strike rotation — still rates as the most trustworthy engine. Babar Azam’s ODI returns are in that same consistency tier, with fewer wild swings between feast and famine.

All-time lens: greatest batsmen of all time

All-time greatness requires different criteria than current form. Longevity, era adjustment, match impact, and peak dominance all matter. A non-exhaustive pantheon:

• Don Bradman: Highest batting average ever in Tests. The most lopsided statistical outlier in cricket. Beyond the number lies method: early pick-up, unerring judgment, and ruthless scoring through gaps that barely existed.
• Sachin Tendulkar: Most international centuries. Played every attack of his era across formats and conditions. His balance on the front foot was a lesson for a generation; the straight drive a pure expression of technique.
• Vivian Richards: Highest ICC batting rating peak in ODIs and an aura that bent fields before a ball was bowled. He hit fast bowling with a short backlift and wrists of iron; he rewired what ODI batting could look like.
• Brian Lara: The backlift, the flourish, the appetite for monumental scores. Lara could go on forever, and bowlers felt it. He scored in bursts that left attacks dizzy.
• Ricky Ponting: Pull shot perfection, sharp running, and relentless standards. He made captaincy batting look easy; it wasn’t.
• AB de Villiers: The bridge between classic and modern T20. Reverse sweeps, scoops, and 360-degree invention without losing shape. His ODI peaks felt like video game sessions.
• Kumar Sangakkara: Silken hands and relentless consistency; his conversion rate and longevity across formats put him in the rare air.
• Jacques Kallis: The most complete player by value added; pure batting numbers alone would place him high, but his bowling makes him a category of one.
• Rahul Dravid: The Wall label undersells his scoring: his ability to bat time away from home defines grit. Known for leaving well and wearing bowlers thin, he was also a master of the on-drive and square cut.
• Sunil Gavaskar, Greg Chappell, Allan Border, and others stand close by on the Test mountain, each a textbook for a particular virtue.

Highest ICC batting rating — who holds the peaks?

• Test: Don Bradman sits on the summit.
• ODI: Viv Richards owns the highest peak in the one-day list.
• T20I: Dawid Malan has held the highest recorded peak rating for a batter in the format.

Record book anchors

• Highest batting average ever in Tests: Don Bradman.
• Most international centuries: Sachin Tendulkar.
• Most ODI centuries: Virat Kohli has the modern mark.
• Most T20I runs: The tally has changed hands, but several modern top-order batters trade this lead as schedules balloon.

Kohli vs Babar — who is best right now?

The composite index is built to handle exactly this. If you force a single-sentence take:

• Virat Kohli is the current best batsman across formats, lifted by chase mastery, away stability, and big-match impact.
• Babar Azam is the best ODI batsman by pure batting method and rolling production, with T20 returns strong enough to keep the cross-format gap narrow.

Kohli vs Sachin — who is best?

It’s an unfair question to both. Tendulkar’s era-adjusted volume and technique under different laws and bowling norms keep him a permanent fixture at the pinnacle of the greatest batsmen of all time. Kohli’s cross-format dominance, peak chase value in ODIs, and modern training standards make him the defining batter of the contemporary white-ball age and a long-format great. The right answer depends on which era and which format you’re weighting most, but either way you’re choosing a giant.

How we read strike rate without missing the plot

Strike rate alone can trick you. T20 strike rates matter differently by role:

• Openers build and finish; a slightly lower strike rate can be fine if Powerplay wickets stay intact.
• Middle-order hitters carry added death-overs responsibility; strike rate spikes weigh more.
• Anchors who finish must have a not-out premium; average and SR together tell the truth.

In ODIs, strike rate around the top order looks different to a finisher’s; we benchmark by phase, not overall.

In Tests, raw strike rate says little about batting quality. We use balls per boundary and false-shot percentage (where available) to estimate dominance and control.

Why away-performance is a non-negotiable

Home runs are currency; away runs are gold bars. Consider:

• SG ball accelerating reverse late in the day with two catchers under the helmet.
• Dukes ball nibbling for a third spell under lights in early evening.
• Kookaburra nip for the first dozen overs on a fresh pitch with carry.

A hundred in those settings proves a technique built for all conditions. Our away factor is there because elite batters are not home-track bullies; they are world movers.

Best batsman in the world today: the instant answer

• No 1 batsman in the world across formats (Composite Index): Virat Kohli.
• No 1 ODI batsman (ICC): Babar Azam.
• No 1 Test batsman (ICC): Kane Williamson.
• No 1 T20I batsman (ICC): Suryakumar Yadav.

Top 10 batsmen in the world — condensed notes from the analyst’s log

• Virat Kohli: Will not be rushed. Builds from ball one with high-value twos; punishes miss lengths without expanding risk early. The textbook for chases.
• Babar Azam: Geometry of batting. His best days are like tracing paper over the field: every angle pre-drawn.
• Joe Root: Turns good balls into scoring opportunities with bat face and soft hands. The late cut is a plea for mercy that bowlers rarely get.
• Kane Williamson: Head in line, feet minimal, results maximal. A koan of batting.
• Rohit Sharma: The pull gives him a T20 shortcut in other formats. Picks length on release like a tennis return.
• Travis Head: Disruptor. Forces Plan B in the first session.
• Suryakumar Yadav: Field eraser. His hard sweep behind point to a full ball is a modern miracle.
• Steve Smith: Outlasts your plan, then outlasts your best plan.
• Shubman Gill: Quiet feet, loud bat. The game slows for him early.
• Aiden Markram: Seam hitter with patience; never looks rushed.

Best batsman in the world right now — by phase and role

• Powerplay (limited overs): Rohit Sharma, Travis Head
• Middle-overs anchor (ODI): Virat Kohli, Babar Azam
• Finisher (ODI/T20I): Suryakumar Yadav; Hardik Pandya and Glenn Maxwell-type hitters orbit this role, but SKY’s pure batting quality is unmatched.
• Fourth-innings marshal (Test): Joe Root, Kane Williamson

Tactical micro-breakdowns that separate the elite

• The leave: Root and Williamson leave not only by line, but by length; they judge bounce off the seam and step across the trajectory rather than away from it. Their leaves are body language lessons to bowlers: “You have to risk fuller.”
• Hitting the seamers off length: Head and Rohit don’t wait for half-volleys. They commit to horizontal-bat shots when the deck offers bounce; bowlers cannot set up the corridor for long.
• Running between wickets: Kohli’s second run turns a safe knocking single into an opposition fitness exam. Babar’s angles provide the precondition: he opens face late, making singles look like gifts to the non-striker.
• Shot addition, not replacement: Suryakumar’s skill is less about inventing a trick and more about adding a new line to the same ball. He’ll hit the wide yorker behind point one over, then over extra cover the next, breaking length targets.

Which country has the best batsmen currently?

On depth, India and Australia share the most robust all-format pools. India’s mix of elite anchors, innovators, and Test specialists gives them multiple game plans per surface. Australia’s current top order blends intent with technical quality in a way that travels. Pakistan’s top end is held high by Babar Azam and a rotating cast of T20 run-machines. New Zealand continues to punch above weight with Williamson’s class and a culture of batting smarts. England’s Test core is Root-centric, with a white-ball unit that can explode on any given night.

How the Composite Index updates

• Weekly refresh: We ingest the latest ICC ratings after their update cycle and re-pull last-12-months batting logs by player.
• Sample thresholds: We require minimum innings and balls faced by format to qualify. This prevents a two-innings purple patch from vaulting a player into the top ten.
• Injury and role context: When players switch roles (for instance, moving from opener to No. 4), we flag a transitional window. The model permits a short lag to stabilize form indicators.
• Edge cases: Multi-format absences suppress cross-format ranking. A player can be No. 1 in a format and rank outside the cross-format top five if they don’t play enough across other formats.

A brief, practical guide to reading batting numbers like an analyst

• Average plus strike rate tells you ceiling and tempo. Add boundary percentage and balls per boundary to get a picture of dominance.
• Dismissal modes matter. Repeated nicking behind suggests either late movement issues or flawed starting position. Repeated lbw against fuller lengths points to alignment and stride width.
• Split by ball age in Tests. Scoring against the new ball on lively decks is a different sport to milking a 45-over ball. Weight accordingly.
• Role fit: An opener with a middling strike rate but elite survival can be more valuable than a mid-order dasher in certain conditions. The team composition decides.

Why the label “world best batsman” still matters

Because batting defines identity. The best batsman in the world right now shapes how teams build line-ups, how bowlers design plans, and how kids practice in the nets. Watch the next generation: the open stance, the wristy carve, the late dab — they all echo the current kings. The sport evolves with its best batters, not behind them.

FAQs

• Who is the best batsman in the world right now?

  Cross-format, Virat Kohli leads our Composite Index, blending ICC ratings with last-12-months production, strike-rate impact, and away-performance credit.

• Who is No. 1 batsman in ODI?

  Per ICC batting rankings today, Babar Azam.

• Who is No. 1 batsman in Test?

  Per ICC batting rankings today, Kane Williamson.

• Who is No. 1 batsman in T20I?

  Per ICC batting rankings today, Suryakumar Yadav.

• How are ICC batting rankings calculated?

  Ratings update after every match. They weigh runs scored, opposition strength, match context, and recent form more heavily than old innings. The system normalizes across eras by being rolling and context-aware.

• Who has the highest batting average ever?

  Don Bradman holds the highest Test batting average.

• Who is the greatest batsman of all time?

  There isn’t one unanimous answer, but any serious shortlist centers on Don Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, AB de Villiers, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid. Era and format preference will sway the order.

• Who is the best ODI batsman right now?

  Babar Azam by ICC, with Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Travis Head forming the closest pursuit pack depending on opposition and recent fixtures.

• Who is the best Test batsman right now?

  Kane Williamson by ICC. Joe Root is right there. Steve Smith and Travis Head round the top group.

• Who is the best T20 batsman right now?

  Suryakumar Yadav. His 360-degree game breaks fields and planning in a way no one else manages consistently.

• Which country has the best batsmen currently?

  On depth and cross-format superiority, India and Australia. On ODI anchoring and T20 run production at the top, Pakistan is led by Babar Azam.

• Is Virat Kohli the best batsman today?

  Across formats, yes — our Composite Index puts him No. 1 due to recent production, chase mastery, and away stability.

• Is Babar Azam No. 1?

  In ODIs, yes per ICC. Cross-format he sits top-tier, just behind Kohli in our model.

Sustained excellence: what the next month will test

• Subcontinental tracks: Will the Test anchors maintain control when balls stay low and spinners crowd the bat?
• SENA tours: Which openers carry their back-foot game and leave percentage to green pitches with high carry?
• T20 bilateral windows: Who builds a Powerplay blueprint flexible enough to survive early hoop and still hit the gaps?

Conclusion: the race never ends, and that’s the point

The world best batsman is a living argument played out under floodlights and afternoon sun. Rankings will flicker. Form will peak and dip. What survives the weekly churn is method. Watch the head stay still, the bat come down straight, the decision arrive a heartbeat before the ball. The names at the top of this page embody those little truths in different ways.

If you want the quick answer today: ICC says Babar Azam in ODIs, Kane Williamson in Tests, and Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is. Our cross-format model says Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world right now. Next week, we’ll test it again — same method, same honesty, same love for the craft.