Hardik Pandya Reclaims Top Spot in ICC T20I Rankings

India's dynamic allrounder, Hardik Pandya, has reclaimed the number one position on the ICC T20I all-rounders' rankings. Tilak Varma also created a buzz by securing his place among the top 10 batters for the first time, marking a significant achievement in his career.

Hardik surpassed England's Liam Livingstone and Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee to claim the top spot. This rise followed his impactful performances against South Africa, where he took two wickets and contributed scores of 18, an unbeaten 39, and 2 runs. His standout moment came in the fourth T20I in Johannesburg, delivering a remarkable spell of 1 for 8, including a maiden over in his three-over stint. The last time Hardik topped the all-rounders' chart was a few months back, after India clinched the T20 World Cup with a victory over South Africa in June.

Tilak Varma, named Player of the Series in the recent bilateral contests, made an incredible leap of 69 places among batters. This rise was powered by his back-to-back unbeaten centuries, adding to earlier contributions of 20 and 33 runs in the first two T20Is. Currently, Tilak holds the third position, trailing Travis Head and Phil Salt, and is closely followed by India's captain, Suryakumar Yadav. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson, who also scored two centuries in the series but suffered two ducks, climbed 17 spots to reach 22nd place.

On the bowling front, Arshdeep Singh shone as the leading fast bowler in the series, taking eight wickets, including two three-wicket hauls in the final games. This performance earned him three places on the rankings, moving him to ninth. Australia's Adam Zampa, with six wickets against Pakistan, rose five places to secure third position among bowlers, trailing Adil Rashid and Wanindu Hasaranga. Nathan Ellis, his teammate, climbed an impressive 15 spots to rank 11th after taking four wickets in the series, including a stunning 3 for 9 in the rain-hit opener.

For South Africa, Tristan Stubbs rose to 23rd after a three-place jump, while Heinrich Klaasen advanced six spots but remained outside the top 50 at 59th.

Following the 1-1 T20I series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, Kusal Mendis advanced three places to achieve a joint 12th position. In the ODI rankings, Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana climbed six places to reach sixth, pushing India's Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to seventh and eighth, respectively, after Sri Lanka’s 2-0 victory over New Zealand. 

The rankings reflect an exciting period of international cricket, with standout performances reshaping the leaderboard and igniting fresh rivalries.