Star batter Suryakumar Yadav has held onto his second position in the latest ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, while Ruturaj Gaikwad made a remarkable ascent, thanks to his outstanding performance in the ongoing away series against Zimbabwe.
Suryakumar remains a strong contender with 821 rating points, trailing behind Australia’s Travis Head, who tops the chart with 844 rating points. England’s Phil Salt occupies the third spot with 797 points, followed by Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam (755), Mohammad Rizwan (746), and Jos Buttler (716).
Gaikwad’s rise
Gaikwad’s significant rise in the rankings comes after his stellar unbeaten 77 off 47 balls, which propelled India to a commanding 100-run victory in the second T20I against Zimbabwe. His efforts have seen him climb 13 places to secure the seventh spot in the rankings.
The five-match series against Zimbabwe has provided a platform for India’s emerging talents, especially with the absence of senior players from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024-winning squad. The retirements of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have opened up opportunities for new players to cement their places in the team.
Among the rising stars, Rinku Singh and Abhishek Sharma have also made notable gains. Rinku, previously a reserve for the T20 World Cup, has jumped four places to reach the 39th spot after an aggressive 48 not out from 22 balls in the second T20I. Abhishek Sharma, following a duck in the first game, smashed a remarkable 100 off just 47 balls in the second match, entering the rankings for the first time at the 75th position.
Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett has seen a significant rise, gaining 25 places to finish at the 96th position, courtesy of his two impactful cameos of 22 off 15 and 26 off nine in the two matches.
In the bowlers’ T20I chart, left-arm spinner Axar Patel dropped two places, remaining the lone Indian in the top 10 at the ninth position with 644 rating points. Fellow left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav and T20 World Cup’s player-of-the-tournament Jasprit Bumrah also saw declines, dropping to the 11th and 14th positions, respectively.
The rankings saw movements among other bowlers, with Adam Zampa (7th), Fazalhaq Farooqi (8th), and Maheesh Theekshana (10th) making gains. India’s Ravi Bishnoi, with six wickets in the first two games against Zimbabwe, jumped eight places to the 14th spot. Blessing Muzarabani of Zimbabwe also moved up eight positions to 55th after his crucial spell of 1/17 in Zimbabwe’s win in the first T20I.
In the T20I all-rounders’ rankings, India vice-captain Hardik Pandya slipped to the second position, with Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga taking the top spot. India’s Washington Sundar entered the top 50, bolstered by his quickfire 27 in the first game and three wickets in two outings. Axar Patel is placed 12th in the all-rounders’ rankings.