Team India’s explosive opener Abhishek Sharma has reclaimed the No.1 ranking in the ICC T20I batting rankings after his 35-ball ton against New Zealand in a series-sealing win over New Zealand in the third T20I on October 27, Tuesday at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
The left-handed batter has dethroned fellow countryman Ishan Kishan to regain the No.1 spot in the T20I batting standings. Additionally, South Africa star Marco Jansen has reached the top of two rankings.
Abhishek Sharma and Marco Jansen reach No.1
Abhishek returned to the summit after a blistering performance in the third T20I against New Zealand in Wellington on Tuesday. The left-hander reached his century in just 35 balls and finished with 113 off 38 deliveries as India secured a six-wicket victory to clinch the series, as per the ICC website. His explosive innings helped him displace teammate Ishan Kishan, who had taken the top spot from Abhishek in July this year following a series of impressive performances in Ireland. Abhishek had first reached No.1 in July 2025, overtaking Australia’s Travis Head. Meanwhile, Jansen continued his rapid rise in international cricket by claiming the No.1 position in both the Test bowling and all-rounder rankings following South Africa’s comprehensive victory over Australia in the second ICC World Test Championship contest in Gqeberha.
The left-arm pacer played a pivotal role in the Proteas’ win, contributing 85 runs with the bat and claiming a match-turning five-wicket haul in Australia’s first innings. The performance helped the 26-year-old make significant gains across all three Test ranking categories. He climbed 13 places to 56th among Test batters, moved up five positions to overtake Australia’s Mitchell Starc as the top-ranked Test bowler, and rose one place to displace India’s Ravindra Jadeja as the leading Test all-rounder. Jadeja had held the top spot among Test all-rounders for more than four years. Jansen’s ascent comes shortly after former South African great Dale Steyn described him as ‘the best cricketer in the world’.
Several other players also made gains in the updated T20I rankings. India’s Sanju Samson climbed six places to 20th among batters, while New Zealand’s power hitter Finn Allen moved up three positions to 25th. In the T20I bowling rankings, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner rose seven places to seventh, while India’s Arshdeep Singh climbed six positions to 15th. The ongoing ODI tri-series involving hosts Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka also brought changes to the ODI rankings, with England’s Ben Duckett and Harry Brook among the batters making progress.
In the ODI bowling rankings, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi climbed two places to sixth, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai rose 13 positions to seventh, and Namibia spinner Bernard Scholtz moved up nine places to eighth, with all three entering the top 10. Veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi also made significant progress, climbing five places to third in the ODI all-rounder rankings.