Abhishek Sharma climbs to No. 2 in ICC T20I rankings amid India's series surge
India's Abhishek Sharma has moved up to second place in the latest ICC Men's T20I batter rankings after a strong start to the series against Afghanistan, with several other Indian players also making notable gains.
India dominate series against Afghanistan
India, the reigning ICC Men's T20 World Cup champions, have already secured an unbeatable 2-0 lead in their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, being played in Delhi. That form is reflected in the latest ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings update, with multiple Indian players climbing the charts.
Sharma rises to second
Left-handed batter Abhishek Sharma is the biggest mover after his 82-run innings in the series opener lifted him one spot past Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan into second place among T20I batters. He now trails only teammate Ishan Kishan, who remains top-ranked, by 51 rating points. Sanju Samson also advanced four places to 30th following a half-century in the second match.
Bowlers also gain ground
India's bowling attack posted significant gains too: Varun Chakaravarthy rose two spots to fifth, Jasprit Bumrah climbed seven places to enter the top 10 at 10th, Arshdeep Singh jumped 11 spots to 14th, and Axar Patel moved up six places to 27th.
Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai also progressed in the all-rounder rankings after an unbeaten half-century in the series opener.
Movement across other formats
The update also touched other formats. Both sources confirm that Australia's Cooper Connolly rose nine spots to 77th in the ODI batter rankings after scoring 51 against Zimbabwe. The Times of India additionally reported that Matthew Renshaw jumped from outside the top 100 to 68th after a 109-run Player-of-the-Match innings, while pacer Nathan Ellis climbed 20 places to 20th in the ODI bowler rankings following a five-wicket haul.
In Test cricket, England's Ollie Robinson reached a career-high rating, rising two places to third among Test bowlers after taking 21 wickets in a three-match home series against Pakistan. Teammate Josh Tongue moved up two spots to 11th with a career-best rating for his 19 wickets, while Robinson's half-century in the third Test in Birmingham lifted him seven places to 13th among Test all-rounders. Pakistan captain Babar Azam rose two spots to 13th among Test batters, Shan Masood climbed four places to 37th, and England's Jamie Smith advanced three spots to 20th after a half-century in the third Test's first innings.
