Finance
Varun Chakravarthy, India’s mystery spinner, has risen 25 places to fifth in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings after an outstanding performance against England in the upcoming five-match series.
Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul in Rajkot during the third T20I was the best of the series thus far, demonstrating his ability to confuse batters with his variations and precision.
Chakravarthy’s performance was critical to India’s attempts, albeit a narrow defeat by 26 runs. His new ranking among the top five T20I bowlers demonstrates his emergence as a major force in white ball cricket.
While Chakravarthy made headlines, England’s seasoned spinner Adil Rashid quietly returned to the top of the ICC T20I Bowling Rankings. Rashid’s solid performances in the series, particularly an economical spell of 1/15 in Rajkot, have helped England stay in the series, where they are now trailing 2-1.
Rashid’s revival at the age of 36 demonstrates his longevity and talent. Rashid first claimed the No.1 position at the end of 2023, but momentarily lost it to Akeal Hosein before reclaiming it, demonstrating his continued relevance in the shortest format.
Jofra Archer, England’s fiery pacer, too made tremendous progress, moving up 13 spots to sixth place in the rankings. Archer’s two wickets in Rajkot underlined his propensity 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.
In the T20I batting rankings, India’s rising star Tilak Varma is closing in on Australia’s Travis Head for the No.1 spot. Varma, with scores of 19*, 72*, and 18 in the ongoing series, has climbed to second place, just 23 points behind Head.
Varma’s current tally of 832 points is the fourth-highest by an Indian batter in T20I rankings, behind only Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul. Should he surpass Head in the remaining two matches of the series, Varma will become the youngest-ever player to top the T20I batting rankings, surpassing Babar Azam’s record.
Apart from Varma, Abhishek Sharma has been another bright spot for India, making a massive jump of 59 places to reach 40th. England’s Liam Livingstone (up to 32nd) and Ben Duckett (up to 68th) were also significant movers, highlighting the strong performances of both sides in the high-stakes series.
The newest ICC rankings also reflect modifications to the Test format following the conclusion of the Pakistan-West Indies series, which ended 1-1. Noman Ali, Pakistan’s left-arm spinner, jumped four places to fifth in the Test bowling rankings after taking ten wickets in Multan. Noman became only the 12th Pakistani bowler to get 800 points in Test bowling.
Jomel Warrican, a West Indies spinner, jumped 16 ranks to 25th after winning Player of the Series. Warrican’s 19 wickets in the series cemented his credentials as an emerging star in Test cricket. He also advanced to 24th in the Test all-rounder rankings.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah continues to lead the Test bowling rankings, following on his outstanding performances throughout the Australia series. Meanwhile, England veteran Joe Root remains at the pinnacle of Test batting, showcasing his unmatched consistency.
Source: IANS
