India are back at the No. 1 position in the ICC T20I team rankings. The Men in Blue returned to the summit after securing a 90-run win over Zimbabwe in the second T20I of the ongoing three-match series on Saturday (July 25). The 2026 T20 World Cup winners had slipped to the No. 2 position in the ICC T20I team rankings following their 0-4 defeat to England in the five-match T20I series earlier this month. But within two weeks of losing the No. 1 ranking, Team India are back at the summit.
India have 268 rating points to their credit. England also have 268 rating points, but after the decimal calculation, India are ahead of England.
In the second T20I against Zimbabwe, India batted first at Harare Sports Club and posted a total of 219/5 in their
quota of 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who tops the ICC T20I batters’ rankings, top-scored for the visitors by playing a knock of 81 runs, while India’s vice-captain Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 60 off just 29 balls.
The innings of 81 runs by Ishan helped him extend his total tally to 783 runs in 22 T20Is for India in 2026. He is now ahead of Virat Kohli in the list of Indian batters with the most T20I runs in a calendar year. In the calendar year 2022, Kohli played 20 T20Is for the Indian men’s cricket team and amassed a total of 781 runs.
As of now, only two players—Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma—are ahead of Ishan in the list of Indian batters with the most T20I runs in a calendar year. While Surya scored 1,164 runs in 31 T20Is for India in 2022, Abhishek played 21 T20Is in 2025 and scored 859 runs.
Ishan, who won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant display with the bat in the second T20I, will have a chance to go past Abhishek’s tally on Sunday (July 26) in the third T20I against Zimbabwe.
Ishan has played 12 T20Is as India’s designated wicketkeeper-batter in 2026 and scored 370 runs. He needs to score at least 67 runs in the third T20I against Zimbabwe to break Sanju Samson’s record for the most T20I runs in a calendar year by a designated wicketkeeper-batter for India. Samson amassed a total of 436 runs for the Men in Blue in 12 T20Is as the first-choice wicketkeeper in 2024.
