Vaibhav Sooryavanshi jumps 230 places in T20I rankings after Zimbabwe series
The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after scoring 151 runs
Rising Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has made a huge leap in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings after making an impressive start to his international career.
The 15-year-old was named Player of the Series after scoring 151 runs at an average of 50.33 during India’s 3-0 T20I series victory over Zimbabwe in Harare.
Sooryavanshi made an explosive start smashing a stunning 50 off just 19 balls in the opening T20I before hitting a career-best 81 from 49 deliveries in the series finale. The two innings also made him the first player in men’s T20I history to score multiple half-centuries before turning 16.
His outstanding performances saw him climb 230 places to a career-best 48th position among T20I batters in the rankings released by the ICC on Wednesday.
Sooryavanshi currently has 536 rating points and is well behind India teammate Ishan Kishan, who sits at the top of the latest T20I batting rankings. Kishan reached a career-best 916 rating points after smashing 81 in the second T20I against Zimbabwe, the third-highest rating ever achieved by a T20I batter. He ended the series with 910 points but remains comfortably ahead of second-placed Sahibzada Farhan, who has 848 points.
Kishan’s career-best rating is higher than the previous marks achieved by Indian stars Suryakumar Yadav (912) and Virat Kohli (909). Abhishek Sharma holds the record for the highest-ever T20I batting rating with 931 points, followed by England’s Dawid Malan on 919 and Kishan on 916, according to the ICC.
Tilak Varma also climbed two places to sixth, while Shreyas Iyer jumped seven spots to 24th in the T20I batting rankings. Ravi Bishnoi was among the biggest movers in the bowling rankings, rising 31 places to 41st after taking three wickets in the Zimbabwe series.
Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl climbing six places to joint 85th among T20I batters, while his teammate fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani moved up 10 places to 26th among T20I bowlers.
Gill back on top
In the ODI rankings, Shubman Gill reclaimed the No. 1 spot among batters after New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell missed the recent series against the West Indies. Mitchell had held the top position since January, according to the ICC.
Namibia spinner Bernard Scholtz was another notable mover, rising five places to seventh among ODI bowlers following his impressive performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Utrecht.
West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves also made significant gains in the Test rankings after a standout performance against Pakistan in Trinidad. He climbed 21 places to 48th among Test bowlers and moved up eight spots to ninth among Test all-rounders after claiming five consecutive wicket maidens.
His West Indies teammate Jayden Seales rose five places to 24th among Test bowlers, while Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas jumped nine spots to 17th. Babar Azam also moved up four places to 15th among Test batters after scoring his 32nd Test half-century in the second innings.
