Varun Chakravarthy becomes World No. 1 T20I bowler; Indians surge across ICC rankings

Varun Chakravarthy has climbed to World No. 1 in the ICC T20I bowling rankings, becoming only the third Indian to reach the top after Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi. The mystery spinner moved up on the back of tight Asia Cup spells — 1/4 against UAE and 1/24 against Pakistan — capping a steady run of form through 2025.

India’s spin group enjoyed a broader boost. Kuldeep Yadav jumped 16 places to 23rd after back-to-back match-shaping efforts, while Axar Patel inched up to 12th with his economy and wickets through the middle overs. Among pacers, Bumrah rose four spots to 40th, reflecting improved returns in his short T20 bursts.

The all-rounders’ table continues to be led by Hardik Pandya, whose balance of late-overs hitting and seam utility keeps him on top. Abhishek Sharma climbed to 14th among all-rounders and strengthened his hold on the No. 1 batting rank with 884 rating points after brisk starts of 30 (16) vs UAE and 31 (13) vs Pakistan. Shubman Gill also rose four places to 39th among batters, underlining a clean powerplay method.

There were a few slips for India too. Tilak Varma moved down two places to fourth among batters, and Suryakumar Yadav dipped one spot to seventh. Yashasvi Jaiswal, not part of the Asia Cup squad, fell two positions to 13th.

Elsewhere, England’s openers made noise. Phil Salt’s stunning 141* off 60 — the fastest T20I hundred by an England batter — pushed him up to second and near his career-best. Jos Buttler’s 83 off 30 carried him to a career-high 794 rating points and into the top three.

In short, India’s spin core is setting the pace — Chakravarthy at No. 1, Kuldeep surging, and Axar steady — while Abhishek’s batting rise and Hardik’s all-round value underline a well-rounded T20 spine heading into the business end of the calendar.