India opener Abhishek Sharma has reclaimed the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s T20 International batting rankings following his explosive century against New Zealand in Wellington.
The latest rankings update, released on Wednesday comes after Abhishek scored 113 runs off just 38 deliveries in the third T20I on Tuesday, helping India secure a six-wicket victory and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. His innings included nine fours and 11 sixes, with the left-hander reaching his century in only 35 balls. The performance lifted him above teammate Ishan Kishan, who had occupied the top position after a series of strong performances earlier in the year. Abhishek’s return to the summit underlines his impact in the shortest international format and comes at a crucial stage of India’s ongoing tour of New Zealand.
Abhishek’s latest achievement marks his second stint at the top of the T20I batting rankings. He first reached the No. 1 position in July 2025 after overtaking Australia’s Travis Head. He maintained his position for several months before Kishan moved ahead of him in July 2026 following impressive performances, including during India’s T20I assignments against Ireland. Kishan’s subsequent absence from the second and third matches against New Zealand because of an injury affected his position in the rankings. He has now dropped to third, while Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan has moved into second place. Abhishek leads the latest list with 897 rating points, ahead of Farhan on 883 and Kishan on 866. The rankings reflect performances across matches and are updated as players’ recent results influence their rating points.
Abhishek was not the only Indian player to benefit from the latest rankings update. Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson climbed six places to 20th in the T20I batting rankings after his recent contributions for India. His rise provides another positive development for the team as it continues its New Zealand series. However, India captain Shreyas Iyer slipped to ninth place after a difficult run in the latest matches. Iyer had made an impressive start to his recent T20I campaign, including a century against the West Indies, but struggled to maintain that form in New Zealand. His latest scores have affected his standing among the leading batters. The rankings also saw movement among bowlers, with India’s Arshdeep Singh advancing six places to 15th and New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner moving up seven positions to seventh. These changes reflect the continuing competition among players across the format.
South Africa’s Marco Jansen emerged as another major beneficiary of the rankings update, reaching the No. 1 positions in both the ICC Men’s Test bowling and all-rounder rankings for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old left-arm fast bowler played a decisive role in South Africa’s victory over Australia in the second Test of their World Test Championship series in Gqeberha. Jansen scored a valuable 85 runs and claimed five wickets for 33 runs in Australia’s first innings, helping put South Africa in a commanding position. He also contributed wickets in the other innings, finishing with figures of five for 33 and one for 34 in the match. His combination of batting and bowling contributions helped him rise in all three Test ranking categories, demonstrating his growing influence as an all-rounder in the longest format.
Jansen’s rise in the Test bowling rankings saw him overtake Australia’s Mitchell Starc, who moved down to second place, while India’s Jasprit Bumrah slipped one position to fifth. Jansen also ended Ravindra Jadeja’s long reign at the top of the Test all-rounder rankings. Jadeja had held the No. 1 position for more than four years, making the South African’s rise a significant change in the rankings. Jansen climbed 13 places to 56th in the Test batting rankings as well, reflecting the value of his 85-run contribution against Australia. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma also made considerable progress after scoring 179 in the same Test. He advanced four places to second in the Test batting rankings, moving behind England’s Harry Brook. Bavuma’s performance has strengthened his position among the leading Test batters and leaves him within reach of the top spot if he continues to produce substantial scores.
The latest rankings also recorded changes across the men’s ODI lists and women’s international cricket. England batters Ben Duckett and Harry Brook advanced six places each in the ODI batting rankings following their performances in the tri-series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s Shadab Khan climbed 32 places after scoring an unbeaten 113 against England, while Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai moved into seventh place in the ODI bowling rankings. Namibia spinner Bernard Scholtz also entered the top eight among ODI bowlers. In the women’s ODI batting rankings, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt overtook India’s Smriti Mandhana to become the world’s top-ranked batter, pushing Mandhana into second place. The latest changes highlight how performances across formats continue to reshape the ICC tables. For India, Abhishek’s return to the top of the T20I batting rankings is the standout development, while Jansen’s rise in Test cricket marks a major milestone for South Africa.