India wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has slipped past New Zealand seamer Jacob Duffy to sit on top of the ICC men’s T20I bowling rankings. The leap comes on the back of two neat, if contrasting, Asia Cup outings in the UAE: 1 for 4 in two frugal overs against the hosts and 1 for 24 against Pakistan.
“I’m chuffed to bits to reach the top spot, but the focus is still on the next match – rankings can change quickly,” Chakravarthy said at training in Dubai. At 34 he becomes only the third Indian bowler to hold the No.1 tag, after Jasprit Bumrah and fellow leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.
The weekly ICC update nudged Duffy to second. The New Zealander took it on the chin, noting, “Rankings fluctuate – good luck to Varun, he’s bowled beautifully.” Sri Lanka’s skiddy right-armer Nuwan Thushara also climbed six rungs to sixth after tidy new-ball spells in his opening two fixtures.
There were smaller moves elsewhere. Pakistan left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem is now 11th, India’s Axar Patel 12th, while another Pakistan leg-spinner, Abrar Ahmed, jumped 11 places to 16th. Kuldeep Yadav (23rd) and Afghanistan teenager Noor Ahmad (25th) rounded out the headline shifts.
On the batting side, Abhishek Sharma kept a comfortable grip on top spot. The left-hand opener rattled 30 off 16 against UAE and 31 off 13 versus Pakistan – both knocks brisk rather than brutal, but enough to protect his advantage for now.
England’s opening pair made the biggest noise in the latest cycle. Phil Salt belted an unbeaten 141 from 60 balls – England’s highest T20I score and their fastest hundred – while Jos Buttler blasted 83 off 30 as the hosts piled up 304 for 2 against South Africa at Old Trafford. The partnership lifted Salt to No.2 and nudged Buttler into the top three for the first time. “It took a while,” Buttler smiled afterwards, “but any time you’re next to guys like Salt and Abhishek you know you’re doing something right.”
A reminder, if needed, that these tables hold more than bragging rights. ICC performance analyst Amol Deshpande pointed out that “rankings feed selection meetings and contract values; they’re not everything, yet players do pay attention.”
Still, the numbers have their limits. A heavier workload at the back end of the Asia Cup means Chakravarthy will have to defend his lead under pressure. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan all have matches remaining against India. A single expensive spell could shuffle the pack again – that is, after all, how T20 usually works.
For the moment, though, Chakravarthy owns the peak. A tidy couple of overs and a useful googly were enough this week; staying there will demand a bit more.
