Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai

Dubai, Sep 17: India’s Varun Chakaravarthy has surged to the top of the ICC T20I bowlers' rankings, overtaking New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy to claim the No. 1 position for the first time in his career. The 34-year-old leg-spinner jumped three spots in the latest update, becoming only the third Indian ever—after Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi—to lead the T20I bowling charts.

Chakaravarthy's rise comes on the back of a sharp performance in India’s opening game of the Asia Cup 2025 against the UAE, where he delivered a tight spell of 1/4 in just two overs. In the high-pressure clash against Pakistan, he followed up with a disciplined four-over spell, conceding just 24 runs and picking up a key wicket, maintaining an impressive economy rate of 6.00.

India now boasts the top-ranked bowlers in both Test and T20I formats, with Jasprit Bumrah comfortably holding the No. 1 Test ranking. Kuldeep Yadav, another standout performer in the ongoing Asia Cup, also made a massive leap in the T20I rankings, climbing 16 places to reach the 23rd position after a dominant showing with the ball.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Australia’s Adam Zampa moved up one spot to fourth, while Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara made a significant jump of six places to reach No. 6. Pakistan bowlers Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem were among the other big movers, rising 11 and four places respectively to occupy the 16th and 11th positions.

On the batting front, India’s Abhishek Sharma continues his reign at the top, achieving a career-best rating of 884. England duo Phil Salt and Jos Buttler climbed one spot each to claim the second and third places. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav slipped one place to seventh, making room for Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka, who now sits at sixth. South Africa’s Dewald Brevis is closing in on the top 10 after a string of explosive performances, currently ranked 11th.