2 min readJul 1, 2026 09:40 PM IST
Ishan Kishan is the new top-ranked T20I batsman in the world, thus ending his teammate Abhishek Sharma’s stay in the position despite India suffering a historic 2-0 series loss to Ireland. It marks yet another milestone in a remarkable turnaround in Kishan’s career, with the wicketkeeper-batter having been frozen out of the Indian team for more than two years before making his comeback last year and playing a crucial role in them defending their T20 World Cup crown.
The International Cricket Council said that Kishan’s rise comes largely due to his performance in the tournament, having scored 317 runs at a strike rate of almost 200. It thus ended a year-long stay at the top for Abhishek and Kishan has now become the fourth Indian to take the top spot in the T20I rankings, with Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav being the other two players in the club.
“There are only seven rating points separating the two Indian players at the top of the rankings for T20I batters, while Ireland duo Lorcan Tucker (up four places to equal 77th) and Ross Adair (up six slots to 84th) make some ground in this category following some decent efforts with the bat in Belfast,” said the ICC.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah is back to being the top-ranked Test bowler after New Zealand’s Matt Henry missed their third Test against England at Trent Bridge. Travis Head has jumped to the tip of the Test rankings for batsmen with Joe Root slipping down two positions to third. Harry Brook remains second. In the ODI rankings, Shubman Gill has gone up to second from third, exchanging places with Virat Kohli. Ben Stokes ends his career at third on the ICC Test rankings for all-rounders while Ravindra Jadeja continues his reign. Marco Jansen remains secnd.
