Star Indian Spinner Becomes No. 1 Ranked T20I Bowler and He’s Not Kuldeep Yadav

In the Asia Cup, Kuldeep Yadav has taken seven wickets, earning two POTM awards, while Varun Chakravarthy has also been among the wickets.

Star Indian Spinner Becomes No. 1 Ranked T20I Bowler and He’s Not Kuldeep Yadav

Varun Chakravarthy has risen to the no.1 spot on the ICC T20I Bowling Rankings, ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. (via NDTV Sports)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Indian spin-bowling sensation Varun Chakravarthy cruised his way up to the top of the latest ICC T20I Bowling Rankings, recoding a career-best rating and position. Kuldeep Yadav, India’s best performer so far in the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, has also made significant strides in the rankings. 

Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has become a mainstay in both the Indian ODIs and T20I sides, since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach. Despite making his international debut in 2021, he remained on the sidelines for three years following India’s dismal 2021 T20 WC campaign. It lasted until October 2024, when he finally made his comeback to the team for a T20I series against Bangladesh.

Since his return to the national side, Chakravarthy has been in spectacular form, forging a formidable spin-bowling partnership with Kuldeep Yadav. He has taken 33 wickets in T20Is at an average of 13, including two five-wicket hauls. He also made his ODI debut this year and had a stellar run in the 2025 Champions Trophy, finishing as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with nine scalps in just three matches.

Chakravarthy has continued his good run in the Asia Cup as well, having picked up two wickets from as many matches, against UAE and Pakistan. All of it has helped the 34-year-old jump three places to claim the no. 1 spot on the ICC T20I Bowling rankings, with a career-best rating of 733 points. He surpassed New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, who is now placed second, followed by Akeal Hosein (3rd), Adam Zampa (4th), and Adil Rashid (5th).

Several other Indian bowlers also moved up in the ICC T20I rankings, including Axar Patel, who now ranks 12th on the bowlers’ list. Chakravarthy’s spin partner Kuldeep Yadav jumped 16 spots to occupy the 23rd rank, while ace Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah gained four places to occupy the 40th rank. However, Ravi Bishnoi has fallen to 8th, and the 2024 T20I Player of the Year Arshdeep Singh has dropped to 14th.

Coming to the other bowlers participating in the 2025 Asia Cup, three others occupy a spot among the top-ten on the bowling rankings. Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Thushara is now in 6th place, his teammate Wanindu Hasaranga holds the 7th spot, while Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan has dropped to 10th.

T20I Rankings Update: Indian Players Occupy Top Spots in Batting, Bowling, and All-Rounder Lists

The ICC recently released the updated T20I Player Rankings, which saw many Indian T20I stars moving up and down across the lists, in the backdrop of the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup. In a historic first, Indian players now hold the number one spots in all three categories; batters, bowlers, and all-rounders.

Indian players top T20I rankings
In a historic first, three Indian players occupy the top spots on the ICC T20 Player Rankings. (via FirstPost)

Chakravarthy’s climb to the top of the ICC T20I Bowling Rankings has solidified India’s dominance in the shortest format. Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma hold the top spots in the all-rounders and batters categories, respectively. Chakravarthy leads with a rating of 733 points, Sharma leads with 884 points, and Pandya with 237 points. Concurrently, the Indian team is also ranked 1st in the T20I Team rankings.

While Kuldeep Yadav and Chakravarthy are the two India bowlers who have made some massive strides on the T20I bowling rankings, batters have also experienced a shift in position. Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav dropped one spot to the 7th position, while Tilak Varma dropped two places to be ranked 4th. Shubman Gill is the only batter to have gained ground, moving from 43rd to 39th.

In terms of all-rounders, while Hardik Pandya is India’s highest-ranked T20I player, he is followed by Axar Patel at 12th, with the left-handed spinner having jumped up a place. Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube have also achieved notable progress in the shortest format.

Also Read: India A vs Australia A: Schedule, Full List of Players and Streaming Options