Abhishek Sharma reclaims top spot in the ICC men's T20I batter ranking

Star India batter Abhishek Sharma has been in incredible form for the last few years for the Men in Blue; the star batter had all the limelight on him as he propelled the Indian team to a stellar victory against New Zealand in the third T20I of the ongoing series between the two sides. 

It is worth noting that thanks to his brilliant performances for the side, Abhishek Sharma has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC (International Cricket Council) men’s T20I batter rankings. With a rating of 897 points, Abhishek Sharma climbed one spot to reach the number-one ranking once more. 

Notably, Ishan Kishan was the number-one-ranked T20I batter in the world before Abhishek Sharma, which is a spot that he took from the batter back in July 2026. However, an injury to Kishan, and him being sidelined for the last two T20Is against New Zealand, sees him move down to third, with Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan now sitting in second place in the rankings.

India and New Zealand took on each other in the



third T20I of the ongoing series, batting first. New Zealand posted a total of 198 runs in the first innings of the game thanks to some good performances by Daryl Mitchell and Bevon Jacobs. 

Chasing down the target, Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made quick work of the Black Caps. Where Sooryavanshi amassed 45 runs to his name in 19 deliveries, Abhishek Sharma scored 113 runs to his name in just 38 deliveries, putting forth an incredible performance and helping India chase down the target in just 13.2 overs, winning the game by six wickets. 

Being named as the Player of the Match, Abhishek Sharma reflected on what the award means for him as well. “I think the key was pretty simple. It was just me and Vaibhav, just going to enjoy there for a bit, especially in the powerplay. And especially when we were fielding, we were observing the pitch a bit because of this extra bounce. But I feel the dimensions of the ground, we could use the powerplay and we could use their pace as well,” Abhishek Sharma said.