February 5, 2025: Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has made a massive leap in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, climbing 38 places to secure the second spot among batters, as per the latest rankings released on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old’s rapid rise came after a scintillating performance in the recent home series against England. In the fifth and final T20I of the series in Mumbai, Sharma delivered his best-ever innings in international cricket, smashing a quickfire 135 runs off just 54 balls. This remarkable knock was the highest individual score by an Indian men’s player in T20I cricket, setting the stage for his ascent in the rankings.
Sharma finished the series as the top scorer, accumulating 279 runs in the five-match series at an average of 55.80 and an impressive strike rate of 219.68, which included a century and a fifty. His stellar performances have earned him a spot just 26 rating points behind the top-ranked T20I batter, Australia’s Travis Head.
Meanwhile, fellow Indian players have also made significant strides in the rankings. Tilak Varma has moved to third place, while India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has dropped to fifth. Other players such as Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube have also seen improvements in the rankings, following solid contributions in the series against England.
On the bowling side, India’s Varun Chakravarthy has climbed three spots to share the second position in the T20I bowler rankings. Chakravarthy was instrumental in India’s series win over England, claiming 14 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, earning him the Player of the Series award. His teammate, Ravi Bishnoi, also made progress, moving up four places to sixth.
In the latest T20I rankings, West Indies’ Akeal Hosein has reclaimed the No.1 bowler spot after briefly losing it to England’s Adil Rashid. The updated rankings reflect the consistent performances from both batters and bowlers in the T20I format, particularly during the recent India-England series.
As for the Test rankings, Australian players made significant gains following their dominant performance against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle. Stand-in captain Steve Smith moved up to fifth on the Test batter rankings, while Usman Khawaja, who scored a career-best 232 in Galle, jumped six spots to 11th. Australia’s spinners also improved their positions, with Nathan Lyon climbing to sixth and Mitchell Starc moving to 12th in the Test bowler rankings.
Overall, the rankings highlight the rising stars in international cricket, with Abhishek Sharma’s rapid rise particularly catching the eye.