ICC T20I Rankings: Abhishek Sharma reclaims No.1 spot, Shreyas slips amid poor spot
Abhishek Sharma has claimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings after his breathtaking century against New Zealand in Wellington, while Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer has recently struggled with the bat, dropping him to number 4 at number nine.
Abhishek returned to the summit on the Wednesday after he smashed 113 off just 38 balls in the third T20I against New Zealand on Tuesday. The left-hander reached his century in just 35 deliveries to lead India to a six-wicket win and an elusive 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
His explosive knock proved decisive in the ranking battle and helped him dislodge teammate Ishan Kishan, who rose to the top spot after India’s T20I series against Ireland in July.
Ishan has slipped to No.3 and Pakistan’s Shahibzada Farhan has climbed to second in the latest batting rankings.
Abhishek reached the No. 1 spot for the first time in July 2025 when he overtook Australia’s Travis Head. He held the position for almost a year before Kishan’s consistent performances, including his contributions during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, propelled him to the top.
Abhishek’s last innings underlined his ability to make an immediate impact at the international level. Chasing New Zealand at 198 for three, India reached 199 for four in just 13.2 overs, with Abhishek and teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi setting the tone in a rousing start.
Sooryavanshi contributed 45 off 19 balls as the pair put on 133 runs for the opening wicket. Abhishek hit nine fours and 11 sixes to finish with a strike rate of nearly 298 for a dominant performance.
The left-hander also made useful contributions in the first two matches of the series, scoring 29 and 27 respectively before producing his match-winning century in Wellington.
While Abhishek’s return to the top was a reward for his latest display of power-hitting, Iyer has endured a contrasting run since declaring with a maiden T20I century against the West Indies in Lucknow earlier this month.
Iyer smashed an unbeaten 102 off 43 balls in the series opener against West Indies, which moved him into the top five in the T20I batting rankings. However, the India captain struggled to maintain this momentum in New Zealand.
After scoring 42 in the opening T20I, Iyer managed just seven and five in his next two outings. His last innings in Wellington was particularly difficult as he bowled five off 10 deliveries before being dismissed by Mitchell Santner.
India’s aggressive approach meant that Iyer’s struggle did not affect the result as the visitors completed the chase in 40 balls. However, his recent scores represent a sharp decline after his impressive start in the home series against the West Indies.
Indian batsmen will be looking to cement their places in the top 10 as there are two more T20Is in New Zealand. The fourth game between the two sides will be played in Auckland on Friday before the series finale in Hamilton on Sunday 1 November.
ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings (as on 28 October 2026)
No. 1 – Abhishek Sharma – India – 897 points
No. 2 – Sahibzada Farhan – Pakistan – 883 points
No. 3 – Ishan Kishan – India – 866 pts
No. 4 – Harry Brook – England – 793 points
No. 5 – Jos Buttler – England – 789 points
No. 5 (joint) – Dewald Brevis – JAR – 789 points
No. 7 – Phil Salt – England – 775 points
No. 8 – Shai Hope – West Indies – 759 pts
No. 9 – Shreyas Iyer – India – 758 pts
No. 10 – Tilak Varma – India – 724 points
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