For only the fourth time in history, an Indian batter has climbed to the top of the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings.
India's Ishan Kishan celebrates his century during an ODI cricket match between India and Afghanistan, in Lucknow (PTI)
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Abhishek Sharma's reign at the summit lasted almost a year before he was replaced by his India teammate Ishan Kishan in the latest rankings update. Interestingly, Abhishek had himself taken over the No. 1 spot from his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Travis Head. Now, Ishan has followed the same path by dethroning another SRH star.
Kishan's rise comes despite India's disappointing 0-2 T20I series defeat to Ireland in Belfast. While the wicketkeeper-batter managed only 13 runs across the two matches, compared to Abhishek's scores of 49 and 0, the rankings reflect performances over a longer period rather than one series.
The 27-year-old's promotion has largely been fuelled by his outstanding T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, where he smashed 317 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200, including a Player of the Match-winning knock against Pakistan in Colombo.
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The 27-year-old's promotion has largely been fuelled by his outstanding T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, where he smashed 317 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200, including a Player of the Match-winning knock against Pakistan in Colombo.
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Kishan thus became only the fourth Indian batter to occupy the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings, joining an elite list featuring Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma.
Bumrah returns to the top in Tests
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah reclaimed the No. 1 position in the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings after Matt Henry missed the Nottingham Test against England through injury.
Henry lost one per cent of his rating points after sitting out the match, surrendering the top spot to Bumrah just a week after replacing the Indian pacer.
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There was also a change at the top of the Test batting rankings.
Travis Head climbed to No. 1 after disappointing outings from England's Joe Root and Harry Brook in the third Test against New Zealand.
Head now sits on 853 rating points, one ahead of Brook, while Root slipped to third after beginning his 12th stint as the world's top-ranked Test batter just a week ago.
England captain Ben Stokes finished his Test career ranked 34th among bowlers after climbing three places, while also moving up two spots to third in the all-rounders' rankings. He is ranked 54th among Test batters.
Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.
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Home/Cricket/Ishan Kishan dethrones Abhishek Sharma to become ICC No. 1 T20I batter
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