Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has climbed to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, becoming the world’s No.1 bowler in the format for the first time in his career. The 34-year-old is only the third Indian to achieve this rare feat, following in the footsteps of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi.
Breakthrough moment for Chakravarthy
Chakravarthy’s rise comes on the back of his impressive performances in the ongoing Asia Cup, where he returned figures of 1/4 against the UAE and 1/24 in the high-voltage clash with Pakistan. His consistency pushed him three places up the ladder, displacing New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, who had held the top spot since March. For Chakravarthy, who had earlier reached second place in February, the climb to No.1 marks a career-defining moment.
Indian spinners on the move
The latest rankings update also brought good news for other Indian bowlers. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav surged 16 places to reach 23rd, while spin all-rounder Axar Patel rose one spot to 12th. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah also made gains, improving his position to 40th.
Abhishek consolidates top batting spot
In batting, young opener Abhishek Sharma retained his place at the top of the world rankings after explosive knocks of 30 off 16 balls against the UAE and 31 from 13 against Pakistan. Those innings took him to a career-high 884 rating points. Shubman Gill climbed four places to 39th, but Tilak Varma slipped to fourth and captain Suryakumar Yadav dropped to seventh. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who missed the Asia Cup, also slid to 13th.
England duo make big gains
The week also saw major movements from England’s openers. Phil Salt’s unbeaten 141 against South Africa in Manchester, the highest T20I score by an England batter, lifted him to second place in the batting charts. Jos Buttler’s quickfire 83 off 30 balls took him into the top three for the first time with a career-best 794 rating points.
India’s stronghold in T20 rankings
With Chakravarthy leading the bowling charts, Pandya at the top of the all-rounders’ list, and Abhishek Sharma ruling the batting rankings, India continues to assert dominance across formats in men’s T20 cricket. For Chakravarthy, the No.1 tag is both an honor and a responsibility as India look ahead to a busy T20 calendar.
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