Deepti, Laura rise to No.1 in latest ICC women’s rankings

India’s Deepti Sharma and South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt were the standout movers in the latest ICC women’s player rankings, with both climbing to the top of their respective charts following strong recent performances.

Deepti rose to the No. 1 spot in the T20I bowling rankings for the first time in her career after playing a key role in India’s opening T20I against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam. Her tidy spell of 1 for 20 from four overs in India’s eight-wicket win earned her valuable rating points, allowing her to edge past Australia’s Annabel Sutherland, who had held the position since August. Deepti’s gain of five points gave her a slender one-point advantage at the summit.

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The latest update also reflected broader gains for India in the T20I rankings. Arundhati Reddy made a notable jump among bowlers, climbing five places to 36th after her contribution against Sri Lanka. Jemimah Rodrigues registered the biggest rise among batters, moving up five spots to ninth overall. Rodrigues’ unbeaten half-century in Vizag, which earned her the Player of the Match award, helped her break into the top 10, joining compatriots Smriti Mandhana (third) and Shafali Verma (10th).

In the ODI rankings, Wolvaardt reclaimed the No. 1 position among batters, overtaking Mandhana after South Africa completed a dominant 3-0 home series win over Ireland. The Proteas captain struck centuries in each of the final two matches, including a commanding hundred in the decider, and climbed to a career-best rating to return to the top of the list.

South Africa’s gains extended beyond Wolvaardt, with Sune Luus enjoying a significant rise. Luus moved up seven places to 34th in the ODI batting rankings and surged 11 spots to 22nd among all-rounders following consistent all-round contributions in the Ireland series.

Ireland also saw positive movement despite the series defeat. Arlene Kelly advanced five places to 27th in the ODI bowling rankings, while batters Gaby Lewis and Amy Hunter climbed to 18th and 28th respectively, underlining their steady progress at international level.