India dominate T20I rankings: Abhishek Sharma breaks all-time record, Asia Cup Final hero Tilak Varma remains at No. 3

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Dubai, Oct 1, 2025: India's flamboyant opener Abhishek Sharma has stormed into the record books, setting a new all-time rating points record for batters in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings. While Tilak Varma - who smashed a match-winning 69* in the Asia Cup 2025 Final against Pakistan - remained static at No.3.

The Player of the Series performance from Abhishek Sharma - the new batting sensation - in the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE not only guided India to glory but also rewrote ranking history.

The 25-year-old left-hander climbed to 931 rating points, eclipsing the previous best of 919 held by England's Dawid Malan since 2020. Abhishek achieved the milestone after his composed 61-run knock against Sri Lanka, finishing the tournament with 926 points-a staggering 82 points ahead of second-placed Phil Salt of England. His tournament also included a stylish 75 against Bangladesh, underscoring his consistency at the top of the order.

Indian batters on the rise

Abhishek's opening partner Tilak Varma also had a productive Asia Cup, gaining 28 points courtesy of unbeaten scores of 49 against Sri Lanka and 69 against Pakistan. Despite the boost, Tilak remains in third place in the rankings, keeping India's top-order dominance intact.

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka, fresh off a century against India, broke into the top five, while Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan surged 11 places to 13th. India's Sanju Samson (up eight places to 31st) and Bangladesh's Saif Hassan (up 45 spots to 36th) were among the other notable movers.

Bowlers' rankings: Kuldeep, Bumrah, Shaheen among gainers

India's left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav jumped nine places to 12th after a brilliant four-wicket haul against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final. Among other significant movers:

• Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan) - up 12 spots to 13th
• Rishad Hossain (Bangladesh) - up six places to 20th
• Jasprit Bumrah (India) - up 12 places to 29th
• Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan) - up five places to 41st
• Saim Ayub becomes No. 1 T20I all-rounder

Pakistan's Saim Ayub crowned his recent purple patch by moving up four places to become the world's No. 1 T20I all-rounder for the first time in his career. He overtook the likes of Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Deependra Airee (Nepal), Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) and Hardik Pandya (India).

While Airee held on to fourth, he gained five rating points to touch 214, just 27 behind Ayub. The Nepal star also rose 10 slots to 72nd among bowlers. His teammates also made gains after Nepal's historic series win over the West Indies, with Lalit Rajbanshi climbing six spots to 51st among bowlers and Aasif Sheikh moving three places to 77th among batters.