Dubai [UAE], January 28 : India's white-ball contingent received a timely boost ahead of their ICC Men's T20 World Cup title defence, with several top players making significant gains in the latest ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings following strong performances against New Zealand.
Opener Abhishek Sharma continues to reign supreme among T20I batters, extending his lead at the top of the rankings after scoring back-to-back half-centuries in the opening two matches of the ongoing five-match T20I series against the Black Caps. The left-hander now boasts a rating of 929 points, just two shy of his career-best mark of 931 achieved during last year's Asia Cup, and holds an 80-point advantage over England's Phil Salt, who remains second. India's Tilak Varma occupies third place, underlining the country's dominance in the shortest format.
Former world No.1 batter Suryakumar Yadav also climbed the rankings, jumping five places to seventh following his unbeaten 57 in the third T20I in Guwahati. The stylish right-hander has been in impressive touch in recent tournaments, adding depth and firepower to India's batting lineup heading into the global event, now just days away.
India's bowlers and all-rounders also made notable progress. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah moved up four places to 13th in the T20I bowling rankings after claiming three wickets in the third T20I against New Zealand. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy continues to hold the No.1 position among T20I bowlers, having taken three wickets across the first two games of the series.
In the all-rounders' list, Hardik Pandya inched up one spot to third, while Shivam Dube made a big leap of six places to 11th, reflecting their growing influence in both departments. Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza remains the top-ranked T20I all-rounder.
While Indian players dominated the headlines, there were movements across teams following T20I and ODI action worldwide. In T20Is, South Africa's Aiden Markram, West Indies' Brandon King and New Zealand's Glenn Phillips made notable gains among batters, while Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman climbed into the top 10 among bowlers.
The recent ODI series between England and Sri Lanka also impacted the 50-over rankings, with England's Harry Brook and Joe Root rising sharply among batters after scoring centuries in the series-deciding third match. However, New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell continues to hold the No.1 spot in the ODI batting rankings.