Varun Chakaravarthy becomes World No. 1 in T20I bowling rankings after stellar Asia Cup display
PTC Web Desk: India’s spin sensation Varun Chakaravarthy has reached the pinnacle of T20I bowling, claiming the World No.1 spot in the latest ICC rankings. The 34-year-old mystery spinner achieved the milestone just days after delivering a match-winning performance against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium. Chakaravarthy is now only the third Indian bowler to top the T20I rankings, joining Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi in this elite list.
Varun Chakaravarthy has been in exceptional form throughout the tournament, recording impressive figures of 1/4 in two overs against the UAE and 1/24 in four overs against Pakistan. Earlier this year, he had climbed to the second position in the rankings and has now surpassed New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, who had held the top spot since March.
Other Indian bowlers have also made notable progress in the latest rankings. Axar Patel has moved to 12th place, while Kuldeep Yadav has jumped seven spots to reach the 16th position. Jasprit Bumrah, returning to T20Is after the World Cup, has climbed four places to 40th.
In the batting rankings, India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to hold firm at the top, following consistent knocks of 30 against the UAE and 31 against Pakistan. These performances helped him accumulate 55 rating points, bringing his total to 884. England’s Phil Salt and Jos Buttler remain close behind in second and third place, respectively.
Other significant movers in the rankings include Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka (up to 6th), South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (11th), Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (19th), UAE’s Mohammad Waseem (20th), South Africa’s Aiden Markram (up 10 spots to 30th), India’s Shubman Gill (39th), and Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan, who surged 18 places to 55th.
England’s recent T20I series against South Africa featured a record-breaking performance from Phil Salt, who scored an unbeaten 141 off 60 balls—England’s fastest T20I century and the highest individual score in the series. Jos Buttler’s quickfire 83 off 30 balls has propelled him into the top three of the batting rankings for the first time, achieving a career-high 794 rating points.
- With inputs from agencies
