Ishan Kishan has risen to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, displacing his India teammate Abhishek Sharma, whose nearly year-long reign at the top has ended.
Only four Indian batsmen have claimed the top slot in T20I history, according to the most recent rankings update.
Kishan rises despite a quiet series
Kishan has surpassed Abhishek Sharma in the ICC rankings, despite a poor outing in India’s recent T20I series loss to Ireland, where he scored only 13 runs. Abhishek scored 49 and 0 in the same series, yet Kishan’s overall steady performance over time has contributed to his ranking ascent.
T20 World Cup heroics power Kishan to the top
His impressive performances in the T20 World Cup earlier this year have been a major factor in the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter’s rise. In the tournament, he amassed 317 runs with a strike rate near 200, including a game-winning knock against Pakistan in Colombo that won him Player of the Match. With this accomplishment, Kishan joins Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Abhishek Sharma as the top Indian batsmen in T20I rankings.
Changes across ICC rankings
Following Matt Henry’s absence from the Nottingham Test due to injury, Jasprit Bumrah regained the top position in the ICC Test bowling rankings, as Henry lost rating points. In the Test batting standings, Travis Head surged to the lead, overtaking Joe Root, who dropped to third place, with Head ahead of Harry Brook by one rating point. Additionally, England’s captain Ben Stokes saw changes in his rankings throughout various categories, finishing 34th among bowlers while making gains in the all-rounder rankings.