Hardik Pandya reclaims No.1 spot in ICC T20I all-rounders rankings

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has reclaimed the No. 1 position in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings for all-rounders. The star performer overtook England's Liam Livingstone and Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee, thanks to his stellar showing in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa. Pandya's impactful performances with both bat and ball played a key role in India’s 3-1 series victory over the Proteas.

Pandya’s crucial innings of 39* in the second match of the four-game series steadied India’s innings under pressure. His economical spell of 1/8 in three overs during the final match sealed the series triumph for India. This marks the second time Pandya has achieved the No. 1 spot in T20I all-rounder rankings, having first risen to the top during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Young Indian batter Tilak Varma also made waves in the rankings update. The Player of the Series climbed 69 spots to secure third place overall, making him India’s highest-ranked T20I batter. Varma’s two centuries and a total of 280 runs during the series were instrumental in India's success. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav slipped to fourth place as Varma surpassed him in the rankings.

Sanju Samson, another standout performer, gained 17 spots to reach 22nd on the T20I batting charts after two centuries against South Africa. South African batter Tristan Stubbs climbed three places to 23rd, while Heinrich Klaasen advanced six positions to reach 59th.

On the bowling front, India’s Arshdeep Singh climbed to a career-high ninth place after impressive spells during the series. Australia’s Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis also made notable gains in the updated T20I bowlers’ rankings.

This rankings update also reflected the performances of other players globally. Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis moved to 12th among batters, West Indies’ Shai Hope rose to 21st, and Australia’s Marcus Stoinis climbed to 45th.