Axar Patel has advanced 12 places to a career-best fifth position among bowlers as a clutch of India players made significant gains in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after strong performances in the series against Afghanistan.
After the latest weekly rankings update on Wednesday, which takes into account all matches completed until Tuesday, Patel moved up two spots to 16th among all-rounders thanks to his hauls of two for 23 and two for 16 in India’s identical six-wicket victories over Afghanistan in the first two T20 Internationals of their three-match series.
Yashaswi Jaiswal, the opener, moved up seven spots to a career-high sixth position in the inaugural T20 International in Indore after hitting 68 off 34 balls. Meanwhile, left-hander Shivam Dube shot up from 265th to 58th place with two consecutive unbeaten knocks of 60 and 63.
Finn Allen of New Zealand is another player who has made significant progress. He moved up to 16th rank among batters after scoring 34 off of 15 and 74 off of 41 in two innings to help his team win the first two matches against Pakistan. Tim Southee, a teammate, has moved up eight spots to 18th on the bowlers’ rankings after taking six wickets in the first two games.
The other players from India to move up are Shubman Gill (up seven spots to 60th among batters), Tilak Verma (up three spots to joint-61st among batters), and Arshdeep Singh (up four spots to 21st among bowlers). The players from Afghanistan to move up in the rankings are Najibullah Zadran (up one spot to 46th) and Mohammad Nabi (up two places to 54th).
After scoring back-to-back half-centuries in the first two games against New Zealand, Pakistan’s top batter, Babar Azam, moved up one spot to fourth, while Fakhar Zaman moved up 14 spots to 81st. The two Kiwi batsmen to move up are Daryll Mitchell (up nine spots to 37th) and Kane Williamson (up 13 spots to 59th).
Spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka are now tied for third in the bowling rankings after moving up one and two spots, respectively.
Fast bowler Haris Rauf of Pakistan has moved up two spots to joint-14th place with his five wicket haul in two matches, while Adam Milne of New Zealand has moved up from 66th to joint-47th place with his six wicket haul in two matches.