Abhishek Sharma’s lengthy stay at the top of the International Cricket Council T20I batter rankings came to an end following India’s surprising 0-2 series loss to Ireland. The left-handed opener slipped to second place, with fellow Indian batter Ishan Kishan taking over the No. 1 spot.
Abhishek endured an underwhelming series against Ireland, scoring at an average of 24.50 across two innings, including a duck in the second T20I. His overall T20I form this year has also been below expectations, with an average of under 27 from 15 matches.
Kishan, meanwhile, struggled in the Ireland series as well, managing an average of just 6.50 in two games. Despite that poor outing, Kishan has enjoyed an excellent year in T20Is overall, averaging above 36 while striking at nearly 200 across 15 matches.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson, one of India’s heroes in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, slipped five spots to 26th after a disappointing Ireland series, where he averaged only 2.50 in two innings. Former T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav also dropped one place to No. 8 after being rested for the Ireland series.
Team India Suffers Setback In Updated ICC T20I Bowler Rankings
A trio of Team India’s T20I bowlers — Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav — slipped in the latest International Cricket Council T20I bowler rankings following the Ireland series. Their drop, however, was largely due to missing the two-match series, as all three were rested rather than affected by poor performances.
Varun and Bumrah each fell by one place to No. 3 and No. 6 respectively, while Kuldeep saw a sharper decline, dropping from No. 40 to No. 47. There was some positive news for India, though, as Shivam Dube climbed three spots to No. 7 in the T20I all-rounder rankings after scoring 45 runs and taking three wickets across the two matches.
Meanwhile, despite missing the Ireland series due to injury, Hardik Pandya held on to his No. 2 position in the T20I all-rounder rankings. Team India will now shift focus to a five-match T20I series against England, beginning tonight (July 1), with significant ranking points at stake.
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