Dubai, Jan 28 (.) India received a timely boost ahead of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title defence as several of their leading players climbed the latest ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings following strong performances in the ongoing series against New Zealand.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) website, opener Abhishek Sharma consolidated his position at the top of the T20I batting rankings, extending his lead to 80 rating points after back-to-back half-centuries in the first two matches of the five-game series.
The left-hander now has 929 rating points, just two shy of his career-best 931 achieved during last year’s Asia Cup. England’s Phil Salt remains his closest challenger, while Tilak Varma holds third place.
Former world No.1 batter Suryakumar Yadav also made notable gains, climbing five places to seventh in the rankings after his unbeaten 57 in the third T20I at Guwahati.
India’s bowlers and all-rounders also saw upward movement. Jasprit Bumrah moved up four spots to 13th among T20I bowlers after a three-wicket haul against the Black Caps, while Varun Chakravarthy retained his place at the top of the bowling rankings.
In the all-rounders’ list, Hardik Pandya rose one place to third, and Shivam Dube jumped six positions to 11th. Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza continues to lead the all-rounders’ standings.
Players from other nations also benefited from recent T20I action. South Africa’s Aiden Markram climbed nine places to 20th among batters, West Indies’ Brandon King surged 15 spots to joint 35th, and New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips moved up 18 places to 44th.
Among bowlers, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman advanced to ninth, South Africa’s Corbin Bosch to 32nd, and the West Indies’ Matthew Forde to joint 47th. Nepal’s Dipendra Airee and Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai were the notable movers among all-rounders, rising to joint sixth.
Meanwhile, the conclusion of the ODI series between Sri Lanka and England is also reflected in the updated ODI rankings.
England batters Harry Brook and Joe Root were among the major gainers after scoring centuries in the series, with Brook jumping 17 places to 11th and Root moving up six spots to 17th, while New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell retained the top position among ODI batters.
. VAN .