Indian opener Abhishek Sharma surged an impressive 38 places to secure second spot among batters in the ICC Men’s T20I Rankings, revealed the ICC Cricket on their website on Wednesday.
Sharma’s meteoric rise follows his dominant performance during India’s recent home series against England.
The 24-year-old was rewarded for a scintillating 135 in the fifth and final T20I in Mumbai, an innings that took just 54 balls and remains the highest individual score by an Indian in the T20I format.
The powerful knock helped Abhishek soar to second place in the ICC rankings, just 26 points behind Australia’s Travis Head, who continues to hold the top spot.
Abhishek’s tally for the series was 279 runs at an average of 55.80 and a remarkable strike rate of 219.68, which included a century and a half-century.
“I’m thrilled with my performance,” said Sharma, reflecting on his success. “It’s been a journey of growth, and this is a huge step for me."
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Sharma finished as India’s leading run-scorer for the series, and with his continued form, he’s now positioned within striking distance of Head. Fellow Indian players also made gains, with Tilak Varma climbing to third and Suryakumar Yadav dropping to fifth.
Hardik Pandya, up five spots to equal 51st, and Shivam Dube, who moved up 38 places to 58th, also made significant strides.
Meanwhile, on the bowlers’ side, Varun Chakravarthy moved up three places to joint second, thanks to his impressive haul of 14 wickets, including a five-wicket performance, during the series.
Chakravarthy’s performance earned him the Player of the Series award, further solidifying his position among the T20I elite.
“We were all in the right rhythm during the series, and I’m pleased with my contribution,” Chakravarthy said after his impressive display.
Ravi Bishnoi also made an upward move, climbing four places to sixth with five wickets in the series. West Indies’ Akeal Hosein reclaimed the top spot among T20I bowlers, overtaking Adil Rashid, who briefly held the position.
The latest update to the Test rankings saw Australian players make significant gains following their dominant victory over Sri Lanka.
Steve Smith rose three places to fifth after scoring his 35th Test century, while Usman Khawaja climbed six spots to 11th after his career-best 232 runs.
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