Abhishek Sharma rises to second in ICC T20I rankings, Chakravarthy Climbs to second among bowlers

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has made a massive leap in the ICC Men’s T20I Rankings for batters, climbing 38 places to secure the second spot. The latest rankings, released on Wednesday by the ICC, reflect his outstanding performance in India’s recent T20I series against England.

Abhishek delivered the best innings of his young international career in the fifth and final match of the series in Mumbai, where he smashed a sensational 135 off just 54 balls. This innings not only marked the highest individual score by an Indian men’s player in T20I cricket but also played a crucial role in his rapid rise in the rankings. The 24-year-old finished the series as the leading run-scorer, accumulating 279 runs at an average of 55.80 and a remarkable strike rate of 219.68, with one century and one half-century.

Despite Abhishek’s surge, Australian star Travis Head remains at the top of the T20I batting rankings. However, the Indian opener is now just 26 rating points behind him. India now has three players inside the top five, with Tilak Varma ranking third and captain Suryakumar Yadav dropping to fifth. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya (up five spots to equal 51st) and Shivam Dube (jumping 38 places to 58th) also saw significant gains in the rankings following their strong performances in the England series.

Indian players also made significant moves in the T20I bowling rankings. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy climbed three places to secure the second spot after his impressive haul of 14 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, earning him the Player of the Series award. Teammate Ravi Bishnoi also made gains, moving up four places to sixth after picking up five wickets in the series.

West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein reclaimed the top spot in the T20I bowling rankings, replacing England’s Adil Rashid, who had briefly held the position for a week.

The latest ICC Test rankings also saw several Australian players gain ground following their dominant victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle, where they won by an innings and 242 runs. Stand-in captain Steve Smith rose three places to fifth in the batting rankings after scoring his 35th Test century, while opener Usman Khawaja climbed six places to 11th after posting his highest Test score of 232.

In the bowling rankings, veteran spinner Nathan Lyon moved up two spots to sixth, and pacer Mitchell Starc also gained two places to rank 12th, thanks to their strong performances in Galle.