Young Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has etched his name into the record books, becoming only the third Indian batter to claim the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings. He now joins an elite club alongside Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, marking a significant milestone in his blossoming international career.
As per the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday, Sharma surged to the top with 829 rating points, leapfrogging Australia’s Travis Head (814) and fellow Indian Tilak Varma (804). His explosive form in recent T20I series against South Africa and England has been instrumental in his meteoric rise.
In just 17 T20Is, the 24-year-old has already amassed two centuries and two half-centuries, boasting a staggering strike rate of 193.84. Though he initially gained recognition with a century against Zimbabwe last year, it was his consistent performances against top-tier teams that propelled him past Head, who hasn`t featured in T20Is since September 2024.
Head had claimed the top ranking during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, overtaking Yadav. However, his absence from Australia`s recent 5-0 T20I series sweep over the West Indies in the Caribbean allowed Abhishek to overtake him.
Other Indian batters also feature prominently in the updated rankings: Varma is ranked third, Yadav sixth, and Yashasvi Jaiswal narrowly outside the top 10 at No. 11.
Australia`s dominant performance against the West Indies has resulted in significant gains for several of their players. Josh Inglis jumped six spots to break into the top 10 at ninth. Tim David rose 12 places to 28th, while all-rounder Cameron Green made the most dramatic leap, climbing 64 spots to 24th after a Player of the Series performance, scoring 205 runs across five matches.
On the bowling front, Australian pacers Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott also made gains, Ellis moved up seven places to joint-eighth, while Abbott rose 21 spots to 23rd. New Zealand`s Matt Henry climbed 10 spots to 19th following his impactful displays in the tri-series against South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, in the Test arena, England’s Joe Root retained his No. 1 spot in the batting rankings after scoring a masterful 150 at Old Trafford. That knock also saw him surpass Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history. His teammate Ben Duckett jumped five places to return to the top 10, now sitting at 10th.
Rishabh Pant moved up one place to seventh despite playing through injury, while Jaiswal slipped to eighth. Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten century lifted him five spots to 29th, a career-best batting ranking. Ben Stokes also climbed to third among Test all-rounders, while Jasprit Bumrah remains the top-ranked Test bowler.
