Highest ranking for Shreyas Iyer after maiden T20 ton
India skipper moves up 18 places following his century against West Indies
It took some time coming but when it did, Shreyas Iyer really made it count. And it was not just the India T20 skipper’s maiden ton in the shortest white-ball format against the West Indies that had a telling impact. It was also the fact that his match-winning innings propelled him into the top 10 for the first time in his international career.
Iyer smashed a stunning unbeaten 102 in the opening match of India's five-game series against the West Indies in Lucknow, earning a remarkable 18-place jump in the rankings updated by the ICC every Tuesday. His innings contained 10 fours and 6 sixes and came off just 43 balls. The 31-year-old right-hander now occupies seventh place among T20I batters, marking a significant milestone in his career.
It was Iyer’s 57th T20 innings and his rise in into the top 10 of T20I rankings means he is the fourth Indian on the list with Ishan Kishan leading the charts, followed by Abhishek Sharma at No. 2, Iyer at No. 7 and Tilak Varma at No. 10.
There were also major changes at the top of the T20I bowling charts. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan reclaimed the No 1 spot from Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed following the conclusion of the Asian Games in Japan, while three new bowlers broke into the top 10 in a busy week for the shortest format.
India spinner Axar Patel gains 16 places to move to seventh, while Bangladesh duo Nasum Ahmed (up three spots to eighth) and Mahedi Hasan (up 10 rungs to ninth) are among the other big gainers.
