India mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has made a sensational jump of 25 places in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings while going straight to fifth place following a brilliant show against England in the ongoing five-match series.
Chakravarthy did most of his spadework in Rajkot with his stellar five-wicket haul that proved to be one of the highlights so far during the third T20I by yet again bamboozling batters with his variations and precision. Chakravarthy’s performance was instrumental in India’s efforts, though they narrowly lost the match by 26 runs.
While Chakravarthy made waves, England’s seasoned spinner Adil Rashid quietly re-ascended to the top of the ICC T20I Bowling Rankings. Rashid’s consistent performances in the series, including an economical spell of 1/15 in Rajkot, helped England stay alive in the series, which it is now trailing 2-1.
Rashid’s resurgence at 36 is a testament to his longevity and skill. Having first claimed the No.1 ranking at the end of 2023, Rashid had briefly lost the spot to Akeal Hosein but has now reclaimed it, proving his continued relevance in the shortest format.
England’s fiery pacer Jofra Archer also made good strides, leaping 13 places to claim the sixth position in the rankings. Archer’s two wickets in Rajkot showed his knack for delivering in crunch situations, complementing Rashid’s spin masterclass. Meanwhile, India’s Axar Patel moved closer to breaking into the top 10, rising five places to sit in 11th position.
India’s emerging sensation Tilak Varma is moving closer to the No.1 position in the T20I batting rankings and is now only 23 points away from Australia’s Travis Head, who has remained at the top. Varma’s 19, 72, and 18 scores in the ongoing series have taken him to the second position.
Varma’s current tally of 832 points is the fourth-highest by an Indian batter in the T20I rankings, below only Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul. If he gets past Head in the remaining two games of the series, Varma will become the youngest player on top of the T20I batting rankings and better Babar Azam’s record.
