Abhishek Retains Top Spot, Varun Drops

India’s cricketers have received mixed fortunes in the latest ICC T20 rankings following their triumphant World Cup campaign. Abhishek Sharma has retained his position as the top-ranked T20 batsman, buoyed by a whirlwind fifty in the final against New Zealand. Meanwhile, his teammate Ishan Kishan has climbed two places, and World Cup Player of the Tournament Sanju Samson has surged an impressive 18 spots.

Kishan, who amassed 317 runs during the tournament, now sits second in the T20 batting rankings with 871 rating points, just four points behind Sharma’s 875. This marks Kishan’s career-highest ranking in T20 internationals. New Zealand’s Tim Seifert, who also scored a fifty in the final, has advanced four places to sixth, while England’s Jacob Bethell has jumped 17 spots to reach 16th. South African opposition in the semifinals witnessed Finn Allen score the fastest T20 century off 33 balls, propelling him from 27th to 20th in the latest rankings.

Sanju Samson’s outstanding World Cup performance saw him score 97 against West Indies in the final Super Eight match and 89 in both the semi-final against England and the final against New Zealand. His efforts have catapulted him 18 positions up to 22nd in the latest weekly rankings.

However, the rankings also bring some unwelcome news for India. Varun Chakravarthy, India’s leading spinner in the tournament, has lost his top ranking. Despite taking 14 wickets in nine matches, his rating points declined, dropping him to second place. Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, who has not played a match since 19 February, has returned to the top with 753 rating points, while Varun has 740. India’s pacer Jasprit Bumrah has advanced one spot to sixth.

The latest ICC T20 rankings for top batsmen and bowlers are summarised below:

PlayerRoleCurrent RankChangeRating PointsNotes
Abhishek SharmaBatsman1875Retains top spot
Ishan KishanBatsman2↑2871Career-high T20 ranking
Sanju SamsonBatsman22↑18655World Cup Player of the Tournament
Varun ChakravarthyBowler2↓1740Lost top spot
Rashid KhanBowler1↑1753Returns to first place
Jasprit BumrahBowler6↑1710Indian pace spearhead

In the T20 all-rounders’ rankings, the only notable change is Mitchell Santner of New Zealand leaping three places to ninth. The top three remain Sikandar Raza, Hardik Pandya, and Syam Ayub, reflecting consistency at the elite level.

Overall, India’s World Cup performance has significantly boosted several players in the rankings, though Varun Chakravarthy’s slip serves as a reminder that competitive T20 cricket constantly reshuffles the global pecking order. As the T20 season continues, these rankings provide an insightful snapshot of players to watch in upcoming international fixtures.

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