ICC has released the latest rankings. Young Indian batsman Shafali Verma has made a huge jump in the rankings for women’s T20I batsmen and has once again come very close to the top position. Due to her excellent performance in the home T20I series against Sri Lanka, Shafali has jumped four places in the rankings and has now reached the sixth position.
Shefali Verma had earlier become the second Indian player to achieve the number-1 ranking among T20I batsmen in 2020. Before her, only Mithali Raj had achieved this feat. In recent times, Shafali has completely regained her lost form, the effect of which is now clearly visible in the rankings.
Shafali Verma has been in good form for team India
In last month’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final, Shafali scored a match-winning 87 runs and took two wickets, helping India win their first 50-over World Cup title. The 21-year-old continued that impressive form in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Shafali has scored three half-centuries in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka and is currently the leading run-scorer. In the rankings, she is now just 60 rating points behind Australia’s Beth Mooney, who is currently ranked No. 1. The top five in the T20I batting rankings include Beth Mooney, West Indies’ Hayley Matthews (2nd), India’s Smriti Mandhana (3rd), Australia’s Tahlia McGrath (4th), and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt. Three Indians feature in the top 10 batting rankings. The third Indian batsman is Jemimah Rodrigues. She has slipped one place to 10th.
Renuka Singh jumped 8 steps
There was also good news for Indian players in the T20I bowlers’ rankings. Renuka Singh has benefited the most. Renuka Singh took a four-wicket haul upon her return to the team in the third match of the Sri Lanka series. This has helped her jump eight places in the rankings to joint sixth.
Deepti Sharma continues to hold the top spot in the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers, while West Indies’ Hayley Matthews has made a significant jump to number one in the T20I all-rounders’ rankings.
