Abhishek Sharma has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I batter rankings after a breathtaking century against New Zealand, overtaking compatriot Ishan Kishan in a tightly contested battle for supremacy.
Sensational Indian opener Abhishek Sharma is back at the top of the ICC men’s T20 International batter rankings after being briefly dethroned by his compatriot Ishan Kishan earlier this year. The batter’s recent heroics in the New Zealand T20Is have helped him clinch the top spot once again.
Kishan took over the top spot after his impressive performance in the Ireland T20 series, which India lost 0-3. But the wicketkeeper-batter was a major positive during the tour.
Abhishek back at the helm
Abhishek reclaimed the No. 1 ICC T20I batter’s spot after smashing a stellar hundred in the third India vs New Zealand T20I in Wellington. It was his fourth T20I century, which he brought up in just 38 balls, helping India secure a commanding six-wicket victory and take a 3-0 series lead.
“The innings was enough to see the left-hander displace teammate Ishan Kishan and move back into the No.1 spot for T20I batters,” the ICC wrote.
The Indian opener accumulated a total of 897 rating points, with Kishan now positioned third with 886. Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan currently holds the second spot with 883 points.
Notably, Kishan missed out on the second and third T20I matches due to injury, impacting his position in the standings.
More from FirstcricketIndia T20 captain Shreyas Iyer, however, dipped by five positions and is now ranked at No. 9 with 758 points.
Jadeja’s four-year reign ends
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja’s reign as the top-ranked all-rounder in Tests for more than four years came to an end after being dethroned by South Africa’s Marco Jansen. His performance in the ongoing Test series against Australia helped him achieve this.
Jansen remains the top-ranked Test bowler and has also climbed 13 places in the ICC Test batter rankings to reach a career-best No. 56.
Jasprit Bumrah, however, has slipped further down in the Test bowlers’ rankings. The Indian pace spearhead is now ranked fifth with 853 points.