Abhishek consolidates No.1 position in ICC T20I batting rankings

India’s young sensation Abhishek Sharma has further stamped his authority on world cricket by extending his lead at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, while Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has ended Hardik Pandya’s long-standing reign as the No.1 T20I all-rounder.

The accolades continue to pour in for Abhishek, who broke a record that had stood for almost five years by climbing to the highest-ever rating in the history of T20I batting. The left-handed opener soared to a rating of 931 points after compiling a stylish half-century in India’s semi-final win over Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup. In the process, he surpassed England batter Dawid Malan’s previous best mark of 919 achieved in 2020.

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Abhishek’s rise not only secures him the No.1 ranking by a wide margin but also sees him move past the career-high ratings of Indian stalwarts Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli, with his tally settling at 926 points by the end of the week. Remarkably, the 25-year-old only made his international debut last year, yet his consistency has been phenomenal. Named Player of the Tournament at the Asia Cup, he finished with 314 runs at an average of 44.85.

The Punjab left-hander’s dominance is evident, as he now enjoys an 82-point cushion over England’s Phil Salt, who holds second place, while India’s Tilak Varma occupies third spot following his impressive 213-run tally at the continental event. Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka also made significant strides, climbing two places to fifth after a career-best Asia Cup haul of 261 runs.

Kusal Perera (up two places to ninth), Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan (up 11 places to 13th) and India’s Sanju Samson (up eight rungs to 31st) were among the other notable movers following their strong performances.

On the bowling charts, India’s Varun Chakravarthy continues to hold firm as the world’s No.1 T20I bowler, having picked up seven wickets at the Asia Cup. Fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav made the biggest gains, jumping nine places to 12th, while Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi surged 12 spots to joint-13th. Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain also impressed, climbing six positions to 20th.

The all-rounder rankings saw a major shift, with Pakistan’s Ayub dethroning Hardik to claim the No.1 spot for the first time in his career. Ayub’s outstanding bowling returns, eight wickets across the Asia Cup, propelled him four places up the ladder, giving him a slender eight-point advantage over Pandya, who slipped to second. Other movers included Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz (up four places to 13th) and Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka (up three spots to 30th).