Ishan Kishan has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings, replacing his India teammate Abhishek Sharma at the summit despite India's historic 2-0 T20I series defeat against Ireland.
The achievement marks another significant chapter in Kishan's resurgence. After spending more than two years out of the Indian side, the wicketkeeper-batter returned to the national setup last year and played an important role in India's successful defence of their T20 World Cup title.
According to the International Cricket Council, Kishan's rise to the top has been driven largely by his performances in the tournament, where he amassed 317 runs at a strike rate close to 200. His ascent also brings an end to Abhishek's year-long reign as the world's top-ranked T20I batter. Kishan is now the fourth Indian to occupy the No. 1 position in the format, joining Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma.
“There are only seven rating points separating the two Indian players at the top of the rankings for T20I batters, while Ireland duo Lorcan Tucker (up four places to equal 77th) and Ross Adair (up six slots to 84th) make some ground in this category following some decent efforts with the bat in Belfast,” said the ICC.
In the Test rankings, Jasprit Bumrah has reclaimed the No. 1 position among bowlers after New Zealand pacer Matt Henry missed the third Test against England at Trent Bridge. Australia's Travis Head has moved to the top of the Test batting rankings, while Joe Root has dropped two places to third. Harry Brook continues to occupy the second spot.
Among ODI batters, Shubman Gill has climbed from third to second, swapping positions with Virat Kohli. In the ICC Test all-rounders' rankings, Ben Stokes signs off from his career in third place, with Ravindra Jadeja retaining the top ranking and Marco Jansen remaining second.
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