Varun Chakravarthy Claims Top Spot in ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings

Varun Chakravarthy Claims Top Spot in ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings

India’s wristspinner Varun Chakravarthy has ascended to the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, following a string of impressive performances in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. The 34-year-old spinner delivered standout spells of 1 for 4 against UAE and 1 for 24 against Pakistan, helping India maintain its unbeaten streak in the tournament.

With this achievement, Chakravarthy becomes only the third Indian bowler to top the T20I bowling rankings, following in the footsteps of Jasprit Bumrah and fellow legspinner Ravi Bishnoi.

Chakravarthy's rise has pushed New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, who held the top spot since March, down the rankings. Among other notable movers, Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara jumped six spots to claim sixth place, after taking two wickets across his first three Asia Cup matches.

The updated ICC rankings also saw shifts among several other bowlers:

  • Sufiyan Muqeem (Pakistan) moved up four spots to 11th

  • Axar Patel (India) climbed to 12th

  • Abrar Ahmed (Pakistan) jumped 11 places to 16th

  • Kuldeep Yadav (India) surged 16 spots to reach 23rd

  • Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan) now sits at 25th

Abhishek Sharma Dominates Batting Rankings

On the batting front, India’s Abhishek Sharma has solidified his position at the top of the T20I batting rankings, after back-to-back explosive knocks — 30 off 16 balls against UAE and 31 off just 13 balls against Pakistan. Sharma’s aggressive starts have been key to India’s dominant performances in the tournament.

Meanwhile, England’s openers have also made headlines. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler have moved up to second and third place respectively in the rankings. Salt smashed an unbeaten 141 off 60 balls, recording both the highest T20I score by an Englishman and the fastest T20I century for England. Buttler backed him up with a blistering 83 off 30 balls, as England posted a record 304 for 2 in the second T20I against South Africa at Old Trafford.

This marks the first time Jos Buttler has entered the top three of the ICC T20I batting rankings.

As the Asia Cup 2025 continues, both India’s dominance and the fierce competition for ICC ranking positions are setting the stage for a thrilling finale.