India spinner Varun Chakravarthy solidified his top spot in the ICC T20I rankings for bowlers by extending his lead at the top and achieving a career-best rating. The mystery spinner earned a new best rating of 818 points after claiming his third consecutive two-wicket haul in India’s ongoing five-game T20I series at home against South Africa.
The right-arm spinner has bagged six wickets across the first three matches of the series. His spell of 2/11 from four overs in the third T20I in Dharamsala was instrumental to India’s clinical seven-wicket triumph.
Chakravarthy has opened up a 119-point advantage over New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy (699), his closest rival, in second place. The latest surge has also helped the 34-year-old move inside the top 10 for the best rating of all-time for T20I bowlers.
Highest bowler ratings in men’s T20I history
| Rank | Bowler | Country | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umar Gul | Pakistan | 865 |
| 2 | Samuel Badree | West Indies | 864 |
| 3 | Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 858 |
| 4 | Sunil Narine | West Indies | 832 |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 828 |
| 6 | Tabraiz Shamsi | South Africa | 827 |
| 7 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 822 |
| 8 | Varun Chakravarthy | India | 818 |
| 9 | Shadab Khan | Pakistan | 811 |
| 10 | Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | 809 |
Chakravarthy’s rise bodes well for India ahead of T20 World Cup
Chakravarthy’s rise comes at a good time for India, who will open their T20 World Cup title defence less than two months out at home. The Tamil Nadu bowler will be a key member as India gear up to begin their quest for back-to-back trophies in the 20-over showcase.
Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh rose four places to 16th overall on the rankings for T20I bowlers on the back of his Player of the Match performance against the Proteas in Dharamsala.
In batting charts, Tilak Varma has jumped two places up to fourth after the first three T20Is of the ongoing series against the Proteas. Despite a low return of 69 runs in the three innings, Abhishek Sharma stays atop the batting charts.