Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has made history by becoming the No. 1 ranked T20I bowler in the ICC rankings, climbing to the top after impressive performances in the Asia Cup 2025. With this, he becomes only the third Indian ever to achieve the top spot in T20I bowling rankings, following in the footsteps of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi.
Chakaravarthy’s Rise to the Top
Chakaravarthy’s recent spells — 1/4 against UAE and 1/24 against Pakistan — were instrumental in helping him leapfrog New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy to claim the No. 1 spot. This is the first time in his career that he has topped the rankings, with his previous best being No. 2 earlier this year in February.
He now leads a new wave of Indian bowlers making their mark in T20Is. Ravi Bishnoi, currently ranked 8th, is the only other Indian bowler in the top 10. Axar Patel sits at 12th, while Arshdeep Singh, India’s all-time highest wicket-taker in T20Is, is ranked 14th despite not featuring in the Asia Cup yet, even though he is part of the squad.
Abhishek Sharma Tops T20I Batting Rankings
In the batting department, Abhishek Sharma continues to dominate the ICC T20I rankings. His explosive knocks of 30 off 16 and 31 off 13 against the UAE and Pakistan respectively earned him 55 additional rating points, taking his total to 884 and solidifying his place as the No. 1 T20I batter in the world.
The England duo of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler are now placed second and third following their powerful innings against South Africa. Tilak Varma has dropped two spots to fourth, and India captain Suryakumar Yadav has slipped one place to seventh in the latest update.
India’s strong presence in both bowling and batting charts shows the team’s growing dominance in the shortest format of the game, especially ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
