Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has overtaken Hardik Pandya at the summit of the men’s T20I all-rounder rankings, while India opener Abhishek Sharma has pushed the record books aside with a career-best 931 rating points.
The headline numbers
• Ayub climbs four places to first among all-rounders; eight wickets at 6.40 an over during the Asia Cup outweighed a lean run with the bat.
• Abhishek extends his lead on the batting chart to 82 points, moving clear of Dawid Malan’s previous high of 919 (2020).
• Varun Chakravarthy stays the top-ranked bowler; Kuldeep Yadav rockets to 12th after 17 Asia Cup wickets.
What they said
Former India batter-turned-analyst Aakash Chopra, speaking on his weekly video review, felt bowlers never stood a chance once Abhishek settled: “Very little the bowlers could do against Abhishek,” he remarked, later calling the 23-year-old “intimidating” at the crease.
All-rounders: Ayub up, Pandya down
Ayub’s rise comes courtesy of a disciplined new-ball spell through the tournament and clever changes of pace at the death. The 23-year-old managed just 37 runs in seven innings, yet the ranking algorithm weights impact across skills; with Pandya missing a match through a side strain, the door opened.
Mohammad Nabi slips to third, while Dipendra Singh Airee and Sikandar Raza round out a familiar-looking top five.
Batting: Abhishek on a different plane
A 54-ball 68 against Sri Lanka nudged Abhishek past Malan’s mark, and his overall Asia Cup tally of 314 runs came at 44.85 and a strike rate touching 200. England’s Phil Salt sits second; Tilak Varma, Jos Buttler and Pathum Nissanka follow.
Bowling: Little change at the top
Chakravarthy’s seven scalps kept him clear, though Kuldeep’s surge—a nine-spot leap—draws the wrist-spinner within sight of the top ten. Shaheen Afridi shares 13th after a 12-place jump, with Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain nudging into the top 20.
Quick view of the tables
• Team-wise, India’s Asia Cup triumph tightens their hold on first, with England and Pakistan level on ratings in the chasing pack.
• Among keepers, Jos Buttler and Mohammad Rizwan remain locked at one-two.
Perspective
Rankings rarely capture the entire story, yet they do chronicle momentum. Ayub’s bowling evolution gives Pakistan a power-play option that frees up Afridi later on. For India, Abhishek’s acceleration from ball one is reshaping the traditional anchor-based template; his numbers already dwarf several seasoned names.
Small caveat: the next update arrives after bilateral series in Australia and South Africa, where firmer pitches—and quality seam attacks—may shuffle the deck again. For now, though, Ayub and Abhishek sit deservedly on top.
