Team India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan on Wednesday climbed to the top of the latest ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, replacing teammate Abhishek Sharma as the world’s No. 1 batter in the shortest format.
The ICC’s latest ranking marks a significant milestone in Kishan’s career, as he achieved a new career-best rating to move ahead of Abhishek, whose reign at the top lasted for nearly a year.
Kishan’s rise comes after a prolific run in T20 cricket, highlighted by his performances at the ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year, where he scored 317 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200. His campaign also featured a Player of the Match performance against Pakistan in Colombo.
Abhishek now moves to the second spot, trailing Kishan by just seven rating points.
With the achievement, Kishan joins an elite list of Indian cricketers to have held the No. 1 T20I batting ranking, becoming only the fourth Indian men’s batter to reach the summit after Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, among others.
Several Ireland players also registered improvements in the latest T20I rankings following their series victory over India. Captain Lorcan Tucker climbed four places to joint 77th, while Ross Adair moved up six spots to 84th among batters. Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys, who claimed four wickets during the two match T20I series, rose to 25th in the T20I bowling rankings with a career-best rating.
In the all-rounders’ rankings, India’s Shivam Dube advanced three places to seventh, while Ireland’s Gareth Delany and Harry Tector also gained positions.
The latest ICC rankings also brought major changes in the Test format rankings. Australian opener Travis Head became the world’s No. 1 Test batter for the first time in his career, replacing England’s Harry Brook at the top. Brook slipped to second, while Joe Root dropped to third after modest returns in the Nottingham Test against New Zealand.
Jasprit Bumrah, the leader of team India pace attack in all formats, reclaimed the No. 1 ranking among Test bowlers after New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry slipped to second place. New Zealand’s victory over England also resulted in ranking gains for several of its batters. Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway and Tom Latham all climbed the Test batting rankings following their performances.
Among bowlers, New Zealand pacer Nathan Smith improved eight places to 38th, while England captain Ben Stokes finished his international career ranked No. 3 among Test all-rounders after announcing his retirement during the match.
West Indies fast bowlers Shamar Joseph and Kemar Roach also moved up the Test bowling rankings following their performances against Sri Lanka in Antigua.