Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India opener Abhishek Sharma retained his position at the top of the ICC T20I batter rankings despite recent struggles, while wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan broke into the top 10 in the latest update.Abhishek has endured a difficult T20 World Cup campaign so far. He began with a golden duck against USA in India’s opening match and was later hospitalised in New Delhi due to a stomach infection, which ruled him out of the clash against Namibia. On his return against Pakistan, he was dismissed for another duck.
Despite the lean patch, the young left-hander continues to hold on to the No. 1 ranking.Ishan, meanwhile, surged 17 places to eighth overall after scoring his second successive half-century of the tournament. His blistering 77 off just 40 balls earned him the Player of the Match award and significantly boosted his ranking.Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka climbed three spots to third among T20I batters following his outstanding century against Australia in Kandy.There were notable gains elsewhere as well. South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton jumped 22 places to 11th, while Aiden Markram moved up six spots to joint 15th. USA batter Saiteja Mukkamalla rose 16 places to 21st, and England youngster Jacob Bethell advanced 22 spots to 32nd after impressive outings at the T20 World Cup.The race for the No. 1 T20I all-rounder ranking remains intense, with Pakistan’s Saim Ayub reclaiming the top spot in the updated list. Ayub overtook Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza after his three-wicket haul against India in Colombo.Raza slipped to second, while Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee (up two places) and Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai (up four) are joint fourth following consistent performances.The battle is equally close in the bowling rankings. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan moved up one place to second and is closing in on India’s Varun Chakravarthy at the summit.Zimbabwe pacer Brad Evans leapt 10 spots to fifth after back-to-back three-wicket hauls at the T20 World Cup. India’s Axar Patel (up four places to 14th) and Jasprit Bumrah (up six to 15th), along with Ireland spinner Matthew Humphreys (up 23 to 23rd), also registered significant gains.
