India's Varun Chakaravarthy has topped the ICC T20I bowlers' rankings, surpassing New Zealand's Jacob Duffy for the No. 1 spot. It is the first time ever that the spinner has achieved a No. 1 ranking, becoming only the third Indian bowler after Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi to do so.
The 34-year-old made his comeback on the strength of a string of superb performances in the Asia Cup 2025. In India's first match against the UAE, Chakaravarthy bowled a tight two-over spell, taking figures of 1 for 4, as senior spinner Kuldeep Yadav tore the opposition apart.
In the subsequent Group A match against Pakistan, he kept things in check with an impeccable economy rate of 6.00, giving just 24 runs in four overs and taking one wicket.
With this, India now occupy the No. 1 spot in both Test and T20I bowling rankings—Jasprit Bumrah continuing to rule the red-ball format.
Kuldeep Yadav also made a significant jump, advancing 16 positions to reach 23rd place, showing his reliable form throughout the tournament. In other news, Australia's Adam Zampa edged up one place to fourth, while Sri Lanka's Nuwan Thushara jumped six places to rank No. 6. Pakistani bowlers also improved their performances, with Abrar Ahmed climbing 11 places to No. 16 and Sufiyan Muqeem advancing to 11th after advancing four places.
In the batting rankings, Abhishek Sharma remains on top at No. 1 with his career-best rating of 884 points. England's Phil Salt and Jos Buttler have jumped into second and third, respectively. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav slipped to seventh, while Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka pushed him to sixth. South Africa's Dewald Brevis, on the back of a series of explosive performances, is on the threshold of entering the top 10 and is currently ranked 11th.
