Varun Chakravarthy is currently representing India in the Asia Cup 2025. The spinner has made history by becoming only the third Indian to claim the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, thanks to his disciplined performances in the opening matches of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The 34-year-old climbed three places to the top after returning figures of 1/4 in two overs against the UAE and 1/24 in four overs against Pakistan. Varun Chakravarthy, With this rise, he joined the elite company of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi, the only other Indians to hold the No. 1 position. Chakravarthy’s previous career-best was second place, achieved in February 2025. He displaced New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, who had occupied the top spot since March.
Varun Chakravarthy: Other bowlers in the Asia Cup have also made significant gains. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara surged six places to reach sixth, while Pakistan’s Sufiyan Muqeem (up four to 11th) and Abrar Ahmed (up 11 to a career-best 16th) climbed rapidly. Among Indians, Axar Patel rose to 12th, and Kuldeep Yadav jumped 16 places to 23rd. Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmed also broke into the top 25, moving up eight spots.
Pace bowlers have enjoyed progress as well: Bumrah rose four places to 40th, Bangladesh’s Tanzim Hasan advanced five to 42nd, England’s Jofra Archer moved three to 13th, and South Africa’s Marco Jansen improved by five to 38th.
Varun Chakravarthy: Abhishek Sharma Holds Top Spot in ICC T20I Batting Rankings
India’s left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma has strengthened his position at the summit of the ICC T20I batting rankings. His explosive innings of 30 off 16 balls against the UAE and 31 off 13 against Pakistan earned him 55 rating points, taking his total to 884.
England’s opening duo, Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, climbed one spot each to second and third, respectively, following their stellar performances in the second T20I against South Africa in Manchester. Varun Chakravarthy, Salt’s unbeaten 141 off 60 balls—the highest score and fastest T20I century by an England batter—brought him closer to his career-best No. 1 ranking, while Buttler’s 83 off 30 deliveries propelled him to a career-high 794 rating points, marking his first entry into the top three.
Varun Chakravarthy: Other notable gains in the rankings include Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka (up one place to sixth), South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (up two to 11th), Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (up two to 19th), UAE’s Mohammad Waseem (up two to 20th), South Africa’s Aiden Markram (up 10 to 30th), India’s Shubman Gill (up four to 39th), and Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan (up 18 to 55th).