Hardik Pandya in action© AFP
Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya re-claimed the top spot in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings for all-rounders on Wednesday following his exceptional performance in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa. Pandya overtook England’s Liam Livingstone and Nepal dynamo Dipendra Singh Airee at the top of the T20I all-rounder charts on the back of some strong form during India’s recent series in South Africa, with the 31-year-old producing some eye-catching efforts with both bat and ball.
His innings of 39* in the second game of the four-match series helped balance India’s innings, while his spell of 1/8 from three overs during the decisive fourth contest ensured the Asian side claimed an impressive 3-1 series triumph.
It is the second time Pandya has held the No.1 ranking for T20 all-rounders, with the consistent India performer first rising to the top at the end of this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Pandya wasn’t the only India player to make giant strides on the latest rankings update, with Player of the Series and rising impressive young batter Tilak Varma shooting up the batting charts a whopping 69 places following his two centuries and 280 runs for the series against the Proteas.
The rise saw Varma move to third place overall behind No.1 ranked T20I batter Travis Head which meant he is now the highest-rated batter from India, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav dropping one spot to fourth behind him.
Teammate Sanju Samson – who also managed two centuries during the series with South Africa – climbed 17 spots to 22nd on the same list for T20I batters, while the Proteas batters Tristan Stubbs (up three rungs to 23rd) and Heinrich Klaasen (up six places to equal 59th) also climbed up in the rankings.
There are also improvements on the list for T20I batters for Sri Lanka right-hander Kusal Mendis (up three spots to equal 12th) and West Indies hard-hitter Shai Hope (up 16 places to 21st), while versatile Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis improves 10 spots to 45th following his recent half-century against Pakistan.
Australian duo Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis are among the biggest movers on the updated rankings for T20I bowlers, with India seamer Arshdeep Singh gained three places to move to ninth and a new career-high rating following his efforts against South Africa.
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