Blistering Maiden T20I Century Propels Iyer Into Top 10 Of ICC Men’s Batting Rankings

Blistering maiden T20I century propels Iyer into top 10 of ICC men’s batting rankings (Lucknow: India vs West Indies 1st T20I at Ekana Cricket Stadium)

T20I Batting Rankings:  India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer has surged 18 places to achieve a career-best seventh position in the latest update to the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings following his explosive maiden century against the West Indies in Lucknow.

Iyer’s unbeaten 102 off just 43 balls - a masterclass in captain’s knock in the shortest format, was laced with 10 boundaries and six sixes and guided the reigning World Champions to a comfortable eight-wicket victory with 32 balls to spare at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

That spectacular knock has established Iyer as India’s third-highest-ranked batter in the shortest format. With wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan leading the rankings, followed by opener Abhishek Sharma at second spot and vice-captain Tilak Varma at 10th, India now boasts of four batters inside the global top 10 rankings.

Meanwhile, ODI captain Shubman Gill consolidated his position at the summit of the ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings after hitting an unbeaten 223 in the second ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati.

Gill's second double-ton in 50-over cricket - the highest individual score in a successful ODI run chase, earned him 25 rating points to equal his career-best tally of 841. Meanwhile, former captain Virat Kohli slipped one spot to third.

West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford gained 10 places to reach 37th after his brisk 56 in Lucknow, while teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi climbed eight spots to 46th following his Asian Games outings. Pakistan's Hasan Nawaz, who gave India an almighty scare in the final, saw a massive leap of 62 places to reach 48th.

In the bowling department, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to the top spot for an eighth distinct spell, after overtaking Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed whose returns of 0/29 and 1/29 in the Asian Games semifinals and final proved insufficient to protect his lead. Rashid has now spent more than twice as long at the number one spot than any other bowler in T20I history.

India left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Axar Patel also made significant strides, leaping 16 places to seventh position after claiming two wickets in each of his last three appearances. Bangladesh duo Nasum Ahmed (eighth) and Mahedi Hasan (ninth) also moved into the top 10, while Sri Lanka's Nuwan Thushara advanced 18 places to 48th.

West Indies skipper Shai Hope rose two places to sixth in the ODI batting list following his match-winning 162 not out in the final ODI in New Chandigarh, while India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul returned to the top 10 on the back of his unbeaten 129 in the same fixture.

West Indies batter Amir Jangoo, who registered scores of 114 and 67 during the series, vaulted 55 spots to 55th. USA's Milind Kumar jumped four places to 45th after scripting an unbeaten 116 off 84 balls to seal a historic 331-run chase against the UAE in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Dallas.

West Indies skipper Shai Hope rose two places to sixth in the ODI batting list following his match-winning 162 not out in the final ODI in New Chandigarh, while India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul returned to the top 10 on the back of his unbeaten 129 in the same fixture.

Article Source: IANS