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New Number One

Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has become the third Indian player to top the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings after economical spells in his team’s first two matches of the Asia Cup being played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 34-year-old emulated fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi by moving up three spots following spells of one for four in two overs against the UAE and one for 24 in four against Pakistan. Chakaravarthy, whose previous best was the second position that he had reached in February 2025, overtook New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, who was at the top since March.

Several others playing in the continental tournament have also made notable progress. Sri Lanka seam bowler Nuwan Thushara has moved up six slots to sixth place even as a bunch of spinners have gained in the latest weekly update.

Sufiyan Muqeem (up four places to 11th) and Abrar Ahmed (up 11 places to a career-best 16th) of Pakistan, Axar Patel (up one place to 12th) and Kuldeep Yadav (up 16 places to 23rd) of India, and Noor Ahmed of Afghanistan (up eight places to 25th) have all moved up the table.

Fast bowlers Bumrah (up four places to 40th) and Tanzim Hasan of Bangladesh (up five places to 42nd) have advanced after performing in the Asia Cup while England fast bowler Joffra Archer (up three places to 13th) and South Africa’s left-arm seamer Marco Jansen (up five places to 38th) have also progressed.

The batting rankings see India’s left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma consolidate his position at the top. His brisk knocks of 30 off 16 balls against the UAE and 31 off 13 against Pakistan have helped him add 55 rating points and reach 884.

The England opening pair of Phil Salt and Joss Buttler have advanced one spot each to second and third positions, respectively, after their scintillating performances in the second T20I against South Africa in Manchester.

Salt’s 141 not out off 60 balls, which was the highest score and the fastest T20I century by an England batter, inched back towards his career-best No. 1 position while Buttler’s 83 off 30 helped him attain a career-high 794 rating points and make a first appearance inside the top three.

Other batters to gain include Pathum Nissanka of Sri Lanka (up one place to sixth), South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (up two places to 11th), Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (up two places to 19th), the UAE’s Mohammad Waseem (up two places to 20th), South Africa’s Aiden Markram (up 10 places to 30th), India’s Shubman Gill (up four places to 39th) and Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan (up 18 places to 55th).

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