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ICC T20I Rankings: Varun Chakaravarthy breaks into top five, Bumrah jumps seven spots; Abhishek Sharma closes in on No.1
Team India’s strong performances against Afghanistan have triggered major movement in the latest ICC T20I rankings, with Varun Chakaravarthy climbing to fifth, Jasprit Bumrah entering the top 10 and Abhishek Sharma rising to second among batters.
India’s impressive start to the T20I series against Afghanistan has delivered rewards beyond the scoreboard, with several Indian players making significant gains in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings.
Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has climbed two positions to No.5 among T20I bowlers, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has made one of the week’s biggest jumps, gaining seven places to reach 10th.
There was good news on the batting front as well. Opener Abhishek Sharma moved up one position to No.2, overtaking Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan following his explosive performance in the series opener.
The ranking gains come after reigning T20 World Cup champions India secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series against Afghanistan in Delhi.
Varun Chakaravarthy rises to fifth, Bumrah enters top 10
India’s bowlers were among the biggest beneficiaries of the latest rankings update.
Chakaravarthy jumped two places to fifth following his economical return to international action. In the opening T20I against Afghanistan, the mystery spinner returned figures of 1/16 from four overs, conceding no boundaries during his spell as India restricted Afghanistan to 157.
His ranking boost comes despite an unfortunate injury setback. Chakaravarthy suffered a side strain during the opening match and was subsequently ruled out of the remaining two T20Is of the series.
Bumrah, meanwhile, climbed seven positions to No.10, bringing another Indian bowler into the upper reaches of the T20I rankings.
The gains did not end there. Arshdeep Singh jumped 11 positions to 14th, while all-rounder Axar Patel moved six places to 27th.
Abhishek Sharma now chasing Ishan Kishan for No.1
Perhaps the most eye-catching Indian movement came in the batting rankings.
Abhishek Sharma climbed to second place after smashing 82 in the opening T20I against Afghanistan. His innings helped him move past Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan in the updated standings.
That has created an intriguing all-India battle at the top.
Ishan Kishan remains the world’s No.1-ranked T20I batter, meaning Indian players now occupy the top two positions in the batting chart. The latest published update puts 51 rating points between Kishan and Abhishek.
Kishan first reached the top of the T20I rankings in July after overtaking Abhishek, becoming the fourth Indian batter after Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma to hold the No.1 position.
Sanju Samson also enjoyed a rankings boost, climbing four positions to 30th after his half-century in the second match of the Afghanistan series.
Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai makes his move
India were not the only team to see players make progress.
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai strengthened his position following an impressive unbeaten half-century in the opening match of the series.
Omarzai produced an unbeaten 64 as Afghanistan attempted to recover from a difficult start. His partnership with veteran Mohammad Nabi helped the visitors reach 157 before India completed a seven-wicket victory.
Australia stars gain ground in ODI rankings
There was movement in the ODI rankings too, particularly after Australia’s victory over Zimbabwe in Harare.
Fast bowler Nathan Ellis surged 20 places to No.20 among ODI bowlers after producing a five-wicket haul.
Matthew Renshaw also made a dramatic climb after his 109-run innings earned him the Player of the Match award. The Australian left-hander moved from outside the top 100 to 68th among ODI batters.
Youngster Cooper Connolly climbed nine positions to 77th after contributing 51 from the No.3 position.
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Ollie Robinson hits career high in Test rankings
The latest update also brought significant movement in the ICC Test rankings.
England pacer Ollie Robinson climbed two positions to a career-high No.3 among Test bowlers following his 21 wickets across the three-Test home series against Pakistan.
His England teammate Josh Tongue rose two positions to 11th after collecting 19 wickets in the series.
Robinson’s contribution with the bat also helped him climb seven places to 13th in the Test all-rounder rankings.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam gained two places to reach 13th among Test batters, while Shan Masood climbed four positions to 37th. England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith also moved up three spots to 20th.
India’s depth reflected in latest rankings
The latest rankings provide another indication of India’s depth in the shortest international format.
With Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma occupying the top two batting positions, and Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah now inside the top 10 among bowlers, India have leading performers across both disciplines.
For Abhishek, however, another intriguing challenge has emerged.
After once holding the world’s No.1 position himself, the explosive opener is again moving towards the summit — but this time, the man standing between him and the top spot is his own Team India teammate, Ishan Kishan.
