Abhishek Sharma becomes only 3rd India player to become no. 1 T20I batter in ICC Rankings, eclipses SRH teammate for Top Spot

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Abhishek Sharma has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the No. 1 ranked batter in the ICC T20I rankings as of July 30, 2025.

The 24-year-old left-handed batsman from India displaced Australia's Travis Head, who had held the position for over a year. Sharma and Head also incidentally play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

Abhishek Sharma's rise to the top has been rapid and impressive. He burst onto the international T20 scene in 2024 during India's tour of Zimbabwe, scoring a century in only his second T20I match. His consistency and explosive batting have been key, highlighted by a record-breaking innings against England in February 2025, where he scored 135 runs off 54 balls at Wankhede Stadium, setting the highest individual T20I score by an Indian batter and becoming the second fastest Indian to reach a T20I century.

His stellar performances in series against South Africa and England earlier this year helped him steadily climb the ICC rankings, overtaking players like Tilak Varma (third) and Suryakumar Yadav (sixth). The moment came when Travis Head missed Australia's recent series in the Caribbean, allowing Abhishek to surpass him with an ICC rating of 829 points to Head's 814.

Abhishek Sharma becomes 3rd Indian to achieve no. 1 T20I Rank

He is only the third Indian male cricketer to hold this prestigious position, joining the elite club of Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav who previously achieved the top spot in T20I batting rankings.