India's mystery spinner achieves career-best ICC rank No.1 in T20Is

India’s Varun Chakaravarthy has climbed to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings for bowlers, claiming the No. 1 spot for the first time in his career. This achievement marks him as only the third Indian bowler to reach this position, joining Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi in the elite company.

Chakravarthy’s rise to the top

Chakaravarthy’s rise follows a series of strong performances throughout 2025, including a five-wicket haul against England earlier this year.

The 34-year-old spinner, who secured his place in India’s T20I lineup within the last 12 months, has been impressive in the ongoing Asia Cup.

He took one wicket for just four runs against the hosts, UAE, and followed that with figures of 1/24 in India’s comprehensive victory over Pakistan. These performances helped him overtake New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, who slipped to second place in the latest rankings.

Read also: Asia Cup winners in every edition from 1984

Spinners dominate at the top

West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein retained third place, while Australia’s Adam Zampa moved up to fourth.

Meanwhile, there were several other notable movements in the bowling rankings: Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara jumped six places to sixth, Pakistan’s Sufiyan Muqeem gained four spots to 11th, and Abrar Ahmed surged 11 spots to 16th.

India’s Kuldeep Yadav also climbed an impressive 16 places to number 23.

Read also: IND vs PAK: Instances when India or Pakistan boycotted the Asia Cup due to political tensions.

Abhishek Sharma continues at the top

On the batting front, India’s Abhishek Sharma maintained his position as the No. 1-ranked T20I batter, boosted by his recent innings of 31 runs against Pakistan.

England’s Phil Salt and Jos Buttler both moved up one place to second and third, respectively, while South African batsmen Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram made significant gains, rising two and ten places.

Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz also moved up the rankings thanks to their Asia Cup performances.

Hardik Pandya continues to be the No.1 all-rounder

In the all-rounder rankings, Hardik Pandya continues to hold the top position. Pakistan’s Saim Ayub and Abhishek Sharma were among the biggest movers this week, each climbing four places in the list.