Hardik Pandya no 1 allrounder; Tilak Varma no 2 batter; Varun Chakravarthy no 5 bowler- Indian stars rattle fresh T20 rankings

England spinner Adil Rashid has reclaimed his position at the top of the ICC Men's T20I Bowling Rankings after his remarkable performance in the ongoing five-match T20I series against India. He had first achieved the top ranking at the end of 2023.

The seasoned English spinner held this position for most of the year, until the West Indies pacer Akeal Hosein overtook him before Christmas. The 36-year-old has now taken a total of three wickets in the first three matches of the five-match T20I series in India, but he was such an economical bowler.

Adil Rashid, Tilak Varma, and Varun Chakravarthy climb in the ICC T20I Rankings

Apart from Adil Rashid, India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy also surged up 25 places to take the fifth spot in the latest ICC Men's T20I Bowling Rankings after his stunning five-wicket haul during this team’s 26-run defeat against England in the third match in Rajkot.

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Varun Chakravarthy has been in extraordinary form with the ball in the ongoing T20I series, as he has already scalped 10 wickets so far in the first three T20Is against England. Jofra Archer also made an impressive jump, moving up 13 positions to sixth overall following his two-wicket performance in the third T20I match against India.

The England pacer has so far managed five wickets in 3 T20Is. Additionally, India spinner Axar Patel has climbed five places to reach 11th on the list in the latest ICC Men's T20I Bowling Rankings. Axar Patel has also scalped five wickets in the first three T20I matches against England in the ongoing five-match T20I series, where the hosts are leading by 2-1.

Tilak Varma threatens Travis Head's position in the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings

Meanwhile, there is a new challenger for Australia’s explosive batter Travis Head at the top of the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings. Young Indian batter Tilak Varma has climbed one spot to second place in the latest ICC T20I Rankings for the batters. While Head remains at the top with a 23-point lead, Varma is approaching fast with 832 points, and he has two more T20Is to overtake the Aussie star.

The left-hander made 19*, 72*, and 18 in three T20I matches against England. His 832 ranking points are the fourth-highest by an Indian batter, only behind the current Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav; batting icon, Virat Kohli; and wicketkeeper-batter, KL Rahul.

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Notably, Tilak Varma is currently the highest-ranked Indian batter in the updated ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is at the ninth spot with 685 points, is the only Indian batter in the top 10. However, Abhishek Sharma has made a significant jump, rising 59 places to 40th in the rankings.

Tilak Varma on the cusp of making history in the T20I series

If Tilak Varma manages to overtake Travis Head, the Mumbai Indians star will become the youngest player ever to be ranked number one in the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings. Currently, Babar Azam holds the record, having achieved the top spot at 23 years and 105 days.

On the other hand, England’s Liam Livingstone moved up five spots to equal 32nd, and Ben Duckett climbed 28 places to equal 68th position in the T20I batting rankings. Well, there is no movement in the ICC Men's T20I All-rounder Rankings, as Hardik Pandya remains at the top with 255 rating points.