With the T20 World Cup 2026 only days away, India got a timely shot of confidence as Suryakumar Yadav returned to the ICC top 10 T20I batting rankings. The Indian captain jumped five places to move up to seventh in the latest ICC T20I rankings update released on January 28.
The rise follows his unbeaten 57 off 26 balls in the third T20I against New Zealand in Guwahati. Suryakumar Yadav has been in incredible form in the ongoing India vs New Zealand series. Chasing 154, India wrapped up the third T20I in just 10 overs, with Suryakumar and Abhishek Sharma dismantling the New Zealand attack. India chased down a 150+ run target in exact 10 overs. Utter domination.
Suryakumar Yadav gains confidence before T20 World Cup
Suryakumar Yadav had a horrible 2025, where he failed to make a single fifty in T20 internationals. Although he was superb at IPL 2025, the Indian captain was carried by the explosive Indian batting unit. But not now. In this series, Suryakumar has hammered 171 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 201.18 and has been dismissed just once in 3 games.
Abhishek Sharma remains firmly entrenched at the top of the T20I batting rankings, extending his lead after back-to-back half-centuries in the opening two matches of the series. With a rating of 929, Abhishek is now just two points shy of his career-best mark and well clear of the chasing pack. Tilak Varma, despite injury concerns, also remains inside the top tier. He will be in action, possibly at the T20 World Cup warm-up games.
ICC T20I Batting Rankings (as of Jan 28)
| Pos | Team | Player | Rating | Career Best Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | Abhishek Sharma | 929 | 931 vs Sri Lanka, Dubai 2025 |
| 2 | England | Phil Salt | 849 | 881 vs West Indies, Barbados 2024 |
| 3 | India | Tilak Varma | 781 | 845 vs England, Chennai 2025 |
| 4 | England | Jos Buttler | 770 | 794 vs South Africa, Old Trafford 2025 |
| 5 | Pakistan | Sahibzada Farhan | 763 | 782 vs Sri Lanka, Dambulla 2026 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | Pathum Nissanka | 758 | 794 vs Zimbabwe, Rawalpindi 2025 |
| 7 | India | Suryakumar Yadav | 717 | 912 vs New Zealand, Ranchi 2023 |
| 8 | Australia | Travis Head | 713 | 885 vs Scotland, Edinburgh 2024 |
| 9 | Australia | Mitchell Marsh | 684 | 694 vs India, Melbourne 2025 |
| 10 | New Zealand | Tim Seifert | 669 | 727 vs Zimbabwe, Harare 2025 |
The gains haven’t been limited to batters. Jasprit Bumrah climbed four places to 13th among T20I bowlers after his three-wicket spell in Guwahati, while Varun Chakravarthy continues to sit at the summit of the bowling rankings following a consistent series.
ICC T20I Bowling Rankings (as of Jan 28)
| Pos | Team | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | Varun Chakaravarthy | 787 |
| 2 | Afghanistan | Rashid Khan | 737 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | Wanindu Hasaranga | 702 |
| 4 | New Zealand | Jacob Duffy | 691 |
| 5 | Pakistan | Abrar Ahmed | 691 |
| 6 | England | Adil Rashid | 686 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | Mustafizur Rahman | 665 |
| 8 | Australia | Nathan Ellis | 660 |
| 9 | Afghanistan | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 656 |
| 10 | Australia | Adam Zampa | 655 |
| 11 | West Indies | Akeal Hosein | 649 |
| 12 | Australia | Josh Hazlewood | 646 |
| 13 | India | Jasprit Bumrah | 640 |
| 14 | Bangladesh | Mahedi Hasan | 634 |
| 15 | Pakistan | Mohammad Nawaz | 633 |
| 16 | India | Arshdeep Singh | 620 |
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