Ravi Bishnoi, the No. 1 bowler in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, has continued his stunning recent surge.
Bishnoi only made his international debut at the beginning of last year, but his consistent performances for his country have propelled the 23-year-old to the top of the updated standings.
The right-armer was recently named Player of the Series after India’s 4-1 series victory over Australia on home soil, and he has 34 wickets from 21 T20I matches since making his debut against the West Indies in February 2022.
Bishnoi’s rise to the top has not come as a surprise, with the leg-spinner first catching the eye in South Africa at the ICC Men’s Under 19 Cricket World Cup in 2020, where he finished with the most wickets (17) of any player as India finished runners-up to fellow Asian side Bangladesh.
While often pushed aside by the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin for slow bowling spots in India’s star-studded line-up, Bishnoi has always performed admirably when given the chance, and his economy rate of 7.14 is among the best for the current crop of Indian bowlers.
Rashid Khan (second), Adil Rashid (equal third), Wanindu Hasaranga (equal third), and Maheesh Theekshana (fifth) all drop one spot within the top 10, while fellow India spinner Axar Patel jumps 16 places to 11th.
The biggest movers in the latest T20I batter rankings are India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, who rises 16 places to 19th behind top-ranked teammate Suryakumar Yadav, and Australia’s Travis Head, who rises 16 places to 29th after excelling in their recent series on the subcontinent.
There was also some movement in the latest Test rankings following the conclusion of the first Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand, with Kiwi Daryl Mitchell jumping one spot to seventh on the list for hitters after scores of 41 and 58 in Sylhet.
Kane Williamson is the top-ranked Test batsman, but Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto jumps 13 places to 42nd following a brilliant century against the Black Caps in the second innings.
The top ten Test bowlers remain unchanged behind Ashwin, but towering New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson re-enters at No.13 following his return to red-ball cricket, and Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam jumps four places to a career-best 14th after his 10-wicket haul and Player of the Match heroics against the Kiwis.
Taijul’s 708 rating points are the most ever achieved by a Bangladesh bowler, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan’s 705 in August 2017.
Although there were a few changes following the first game of the series between the West Indies and England in the Caribbean, India opener Shubman Gill (batting) and South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj (bowling) remain at the top of the ODI rankings.
West Indies captain Shai Hope moves up four slots to 11th on the list of ODI batters after scoring his 16th ODI century in Antigua, while teammate Brandon King moves up six spaces to 78th.