ICC Rankings: Ishan Kishan replaces Abhishek Sharma as the new No.1 T20I batter

Ishan Kishan became the world’s highest-ranked T20I batsman for the first time, ending teammate Abhishek Sharma’s one-year stay at the top of the ICC men’s rankings. Kishan achieved a career-high rating, surpassing Abhishek, with just seven rating points separating the two Indian batsmen.

Kishan was one of India’s standout performers in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, scoring 317 runs in a knock of nearly 200. His match-winning innings against Pakistan in Colombo earned him the Man of the Match award and laid the foundation for his rise to the top of the rankings. He has now become only the fourth Indian batsman to hold the No.1 spot in T20Is, after Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma.

Abhishek’s stay at the summit lasted almost a year before Kishan advanced in the latest update. Just seven rating points separate the two, underlining how close the pair remain.

The rating also reflected Ireland’s encouraging performance in the historic series win over India. Lorcan Tucker climbed four places to 77th among T20I batsmen, while Ross Adair moved up six places to 84th after making valuable contributions with the bat.

Left-arm seamer Matthew Humphreys reached a career-high 25th among T20I bowlers after taking four wickets in two matches. India all-rounder Shivam Dube also progressed, moving up three places to seventh, while Ireland’s Gareth Delany and Harry Tector climbed to 24th and 38th respectively.

There were also changes at the top of the Test rankings. Australia’s Travis Head became world number one in Tests for the first time after England’s Harry Brook and Joe Root endured a quiet Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. Brook slipped to second and Root to third.

New Zealand’s win was rewarded with significant gains for several of their batsmen. Rachin Ravindra climbed to seventh, Daryl Mitchell to 11th, Devon Conway jumped 14 places to 15th and Tom Latham moved up to 31st.

India also regained the top spot in the Test bowling rankings through Jasprit Bumrah, who moved ahead of New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry.

England captain Ben Stokes has climbed to third in the Test all-rounders’ rankings after bringing down the curtain on his international career.

West Indies fast bowlers Shamar Joseph and Kemar Roach were also rewarded after their match-winning innings against Sri Lanka in Antigua. Joseph climbed to joint 14th in the bowling rankings, while Roach moved to 17th.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

Jul 1, 2026 1:52 PM IST