Suryakumar Yadav, the charismatic India limited-overs batsman who just passed Pakistan captain Babar Azam in the most current ICC Men’s Player Rankings, has continued his recent campaign to become the finest T20I hitter in the world.
In the opening game of their three-game series against Australia on Tuesday in Mohali, Suryakumar excelled with a magnificent 46 for India, moving him up to third place with 780 points in the T20I batter rankings.
The South African Aiden Markram and Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan (825 points) are the only players ahead of the Indian (792).
In Tuesday’s loss to England in Karachi, Pakistan’s No. 1 T20I batter, Rizwan, scored 50 runs.
Pakistan skipper Babar dropped to fourth on the latest rankings following his below-par Asia Cup in the UAE and a return of 31 against England in the series opener in Karachi, while England’s Dawid Malan (725) and Australia skipper Aaron Finch (715) round out a top six.
A host of India and Australia players made significant ground on the latest set of T20I rankings, while England and Pakistan players also caught the eye.
Explosive India star Hardik Pandya zoomed up 22 places to 65th overall on the batter rankings following his superb unbeaten 71 against the Aussies, while team-mate Axar Patel shot up 24 spots to 33rd on the list for bowlers after he collected three wickets during the same match.
The No. 1 ranked bowler remains Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood, whose vital dismissals of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in that high-scoring matchup demonstrated his talent.
Following a two-wicket performance against Pakistan, England spinner Adil Rashid maintains his third-place standing behind Hazlewood and Tabraiz Shamsi, while experienced opener Alex Hales returns to the T20I batter rankings after a three-year absence from 20-over international cricket.
Following a great performance against England, Pakistan’s quick Haris Rauf climbs four ranks to 21st on the most recent list of T20I bowlers, while teammate Mohammad Nawaz moves up three spots to 31st.
(inputs from IANS)