India spinner reaches new heights on T20I rankings charts

Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy has further solidified his position at the top of the ICC Men's T20I Bowler Rankings, achieving a career-high rating in the process.

Chakravarthy's impressive form in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa has propelled him to a new best rating of 818 points. He achieved this feat after taking two wickets in each of the three matches played so far.

His six wickets in the series, particularly his economical spell of 2/11 in four overs during the most recent match in Dharamsala, were crucial in India's dominant seven-wicket victory.

Chakravarthy's 818 rating points give him a significant lead of 119 points over New Zealand's Jacob Duffy (699), who currently holds the second position. The 34-year-old has also broken into the top 10 for all-time best T20I bowler ratings.

This comes at an opportune moment for India, as they prepare to defend their ICC Men's T20 World Cup title in Barbados in less than two months. Chakravarthy is expected to play a key role in their pursuit of consecutive T20 World Cup victories.

Other Indian players have also made gains in the rankings. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh has climbed four places to secure the 16th spot among T20I bowlers, following his Player of the Match performance against South Africa in the third game. Several South African players have also seen improvements, including Marco Jansen (up 14 places to 25th), Lungi Ngidi (up 11 places to 44th), and Ottneil Baartman, who jumped from outside the top 100 to 68th.

On the batting front, India now has two players within the top five of the T20I rankings. Tilak Varma has moved up two places to fourth overall after a series of solid innings against South Africa. Abhishek Sharma remains the top-ranked batter. South Africa's Aiden Markram (up eight places to 29th) and Quinton de Kock (up 14 places to 43rd) have also improved their rankings thanks to recent strong performances.

Pakistan's Saim Ayub maintains a slim lead in the T20I all-rounder rankings, despite not participating in any international matches recently. India's Shivam Dube has made significant progress, climbing two spots to 16th.

The updated Test rankings also reflect changes following the second Test match between New Zealand and the West Indies. Players from both teams have been rewarded for their strong performances in Wellington.

New Zealand's Devon Conway has risen seven places to 34th in the Test batting rankings, while his teammate Jacob Duffy has jumped 15 places to 48th among Test bowlers after taking six wickets and earning the Player of the Match award at Basin Reserve. Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has reached a career-best second position in the Test bowler rankings, benefiting from Matt Henry's absence in the Wellington Test. From the West Indies side, Roston Chase (up one place to 30th) and Justin Greaves (up one place to 31st) have both moved up in the Test all-rounder rankings.