Dubai, Dec 24: India's white-ball stars enjoyed a significant rise in the latest ICC Men's Player Rankings, with Tilak Varma and Varun Chakaravarthy making notable gains in T20Is, while Jasprit Bumrah
continued his reign as the world's top-ranked Test bowler.
India's 3-1 series win over South Africa in the recently concluded five-match T20I series had a direct impact on the batting rankings. The decider in Ahmedabad turned into a run-fest, with India piling up 231 in the first innings.
Tilak Varma Breaks Into T20I Top Three
India's top-scorer Tilak Varma smashed 73 off 42 balls, an innings that propelled him past Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka and into third place in the T20I batting rankings with 805 rating points. South Africa's Dewald Brevis, meanwhile, also made progress, with his quickfire 31 helping him break into the top 10.
Varun Chakaravarthy Tightens Grip at the Top
India successfully defended their imposing total thanks largely to a disciplined bowling effort led by Jasprit Bumrah, who returned figures of 2/17 in four overs. Bumrah was the only bowler in the match to concede under a run a ball, a performance that earned him a 10-place jump to joint 18th in the T20I bowling rankings alongside Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana (622).
Spin spearhead Varun Chakaravarthy continued to dominate the format. His four-wicket haul in the series cemented his No.1 position in the T20I bowling rankings, with 804 rating points, comfortably ahead of second-placed Jacob Duffy (699).
Bumrah Unchallenged at the Summit in Tests
While the T20I rankings saw movement, Bumrah's supremacy in red-ball cricket remained intact. The Indian pacer continues to sit No.1 in the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings, despite strong performances from Australian quicks in the ongoing Ashes.
Australia's convincing 82-run win in Adelaide helped them secure an unassailable 3-0 lead over England, with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc claiming 10 wickets between them. Cummins jumped four places to second with a rating of 849, closing to within 30 points of Bumrah, while Starc climbed to third.
Test Batters on the Move
Australia's victory was set up by a masterful second-innings knock from Travis Head, whose 170 off 219 balls lifted him four places to joint third in the Test batting rankings (815), alongside Steve Smith. Wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey also surged, rising six spots to ninth with a career-best rating of 737 after his first-innings century.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand completed a 2-0 series win over the West Indies, with their batters also enjoying ranking gains. Rachin Ravindra jumped five places to 13th, while Devon Conway's scores of 227 and 100 pushed him to a career-high rating of 681, placing him joint 17th.
For the West Indies, Kavem Hodge's fighting 123 not out earned him an 11-place jump to 66th, marking his best-ever ranking.
All-Round Impact
In the Test all-rounders' list, senior Australia pacer Mitchell Starc climbed to third after contributing a crucial half-century in Adelaide, drawing level with England captain Ben Stokes on 311 rating points.
