India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has climbed to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings after a stellar run in international cricket. The left-hander has replaced teammate Abhishek Sharma as the world’s No. 1 T20I batter in the latest rankings released by the ICC.
Kishan climbs to the top after World Cup heroics
Kishan’s rise follows an outstanding campaign in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The left-hander scored 317 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of nearly 200, including a match-winning knock against Pakistan that earned him the Player of the Match award. His consistent performances helped him move seven rating points ahead of Abhishek Sharma in the latest ICC rankings.
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With the achievement, Kishan becomes only the fourth Indian men’s cricketer to occupy the No. 1 position in the ICC T20I batting rankings. He joins an elite list comprising Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma.
🚨 BIG SCAM IN ICC RANKINGS:
Ishan Kishan becomes the No.1 ranked T20I batter.
Before the Ireland series Abhishek Sharma had 875 points and Ishan Kishan had 871 points.
During the Ireland series, Abhishek scored 49 runs while Ishan scored just 13 runs.
Still, Abhishek lost 6… pic.twitter.com/Wb3M12B2F8— Indian Cricket Ministry (@Tejashyyyyyy) July 1, 2026
Abhishek, who held the top spot for almost a year, has slipped to second place. The ICC rankings are calculated over a sustained period of performances, meaning India’s recent 2-0 T20I series defeat to Ireland did not significantly alter the overall standings.
Changes across batting, bowling and Test rankings
Ireland players also enjoyed gains following their performances against India. Captain Lorcan Tucker and Ross Adair moved up in the T20I batting rankings after impressive displays during the series.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗼.𝟭🌟
Congratulations to Ishan Kishan on topping the charts in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings following his massive impact in #TeamIndia’s triumph at the #T20WorldCup 2026 👏👏 @ishankishan51 pic.twitter.com/qQrGnJNdMF— BCCI (@BCCI) July 1, 2026
In the bowling rankings, Ireland left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys climbed to 25th after a productive outing. India’s Shivam Dube also made progress, moving up to seventh in the T20I all-rounders’ rankings, while Ireland all-rounders Gareth Delany and Harry Tector registered notable improvements.
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The latest ICC rankings also brought changes in the Test format. Australia’s Travis Head became the No. 1 Test batter for the first time in his career after a consistent run with the bat. Meanwhile, India’s Jasprit Bumrah reclaimed the top spot in the Test bowling rankings after New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry dropped following his absence from the Nottingham Test.
Kishan’s rise to the summit marks another milestone in his international career, rewarding his consistent performances and making him the highest-ranked T20I batter in the world.
