Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has reached the No. 1 position in the latest ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, replacing teammate Abhishek Sharma to become the world’s top-ranked T20I batter. This makes Kishan the fourth Indian men’s cricketer to top the T20I batting list after Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma.
Kishan’s journey to the top has been like a sprint. He made his way back to India’s T20I side in January after being away from the format for over two years and immediately became one of the most dependable batters on the team. Back-to-back scores of 76 and 103 against New Zealand saw him into India’s T20 World Cup squad which he went on to make an impact with. He scored 317 runs in the tournament, ending up as India’s fourth-highest run-getter, and India retained their T20 World Cup crown.
The ascent of Kishan to the top has been phenomenal. He returned to India’s T20I side in January for the first time in more than two years, and wasted little time in becoming one of their most consistent batters. He even scored 76 and 103 against New Zealand, the stellar performances helped him clinch a spot in India’s T20 World Cup unit, where he remained in great touch. He ended the tournament as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer with 317 runs as they went on to defend their T20 World Cup title.
India also witnessed another positive move in the rankings as all-rounder Shivam Dube moved up three places to No. 7 among T20I all-rounders. Dube was also utilized as a fast bowler in the series, and although India lost that T20I series 2-0 against Ireland, Dube gave an impressive account of himself with both bat and ball. He scored 45 runs in both these matches while taking three wickets at an average of 14.33 and economy rate of 7.16 which helped his ranking soar up further.
Australia’s Travis Head regained the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test batting rankings with England’s Joe Root dropping to third after a dreadful home series against New Zealand That allowed Head to quickly regain the summit for the series as Root scored 171 runs in three Tests at just 28.50. Harry Brook from England held onto his No. 2 ranking and is only one rating point behind Head.
The latest rankings also saw several batters from the England-New Zealand series gain ground as well. Daryl Mitchell from New Zealand moved to 11th, and also within the top twenty were Devon Conway 15th and captain Tom Latham 31st. England opener Ben Duckett moved up to 14th after his century in the series. New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra further enhanced his rise by moving from ninth to seventh position with scores of 76 at The Oval and 94 in the second innings at Trent Bridge.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who retired from international cricket after the New Zealand series climbed to No. 3 in the ICC Test all-rounder rankings before bowing out of his career on a high. Stokes bowled brilliantly in his last Test, ending with numbers of 4 for 70 in the first innings at Trent Bridge.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah climbs back to the top of ICC Test bowling rankings; Devean Williams sets a world record Bumrah then moved after New Zealand seamer Matt Henry missed the final Test of the series due to injury, pushing Henry down into second place.
Meanwhile, other performers from recently concluded Test matches were also rewarded in the latest ICC rankings. West Indies pacers Shamar Joseph and Kemar Roach made notable strides after they helped their side overpower Sri Lanka in Antigua, with the duo soaring to 14th and 17th respectively on the Test bowling rankings list. Zimbabwe quick Blessing Muzarabani was also among the big movers, climbing to 19th after helping Zimbabwe secure their first Test victory; their biggest win in that format over Bangladesh.
