Unique Cricketing 1-2

Left-handers Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan occupy the first two positions in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings in what is the first instance of an Indian batting pair making it a one-two in the format, with Kishan also eying the chance to become the fourth Indian to top the T20I batting rankings.

Sharma is currently on 875 rating points, his 21-ball 52 against New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium ensuring he still leads the table, while Kishan’s 52 off 25 balls against the Kiwis and 39 off 18 against England in the semifinal have helped him leapfrog Phil Salt of England and Sahibzada Farhan of Pakistan into second place.

With just four points separating the two, Kishan is also in with a chance to emulate Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Sharma and become only the fourth Indian batter to go tops in the format.

The last two batters from the same team to have occupied the first two positions were Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan, in September 2022.

The latest weekly rankings update also sees New Zealand opener Tim Seifert move up four places to a career-best sixth position after scores of 58 in the semifinal against South Africa at the Eden Gardens and 52 in the final against India.

The others to make big gains are England’s Jacob Bethell, whose century against India in the semifinal has lifted him to a career-best 16th position, and Player of the Tournament Sanju Samson, whose knock of 97 not out against the West Indies and identical scores of 89 against England and New Zealand have carried him to 22nd place. Shivam Dubey (up four places to 27th) and Will Jacks (up eight places to 58th) have also progressed.

In the bowling rankings, India spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s reign at the top is over even after finishing the tournament as the leading wicket-taker. He grabbed 14 wickets in nine matches but went for too many runs, especially in the matches this past week.

Afghanistan star Rashid Khan, who has spent more than four years at the top of the T20I bowling rankings, is back to number one with another leg-spinner Adil Rashid of England also moving up one spot to fourth position after taking two for 41 in the semifinal against India.

India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was the Player of the Match in the final for his haul of four for 15, has gained one spot to reach sixth position, while his team-mates Axar Patel (up six places to 17th), Hardik Pandya (up four places to 46th) and South Africa pace bowler Kagiso Rabada (up three places to 50th) have also moved up the rankings.