The latest version of the ICC T20I Rankings is out, as KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have retained their spot in the top ten among batters. However, none feature among the bowlers.
India did not have the best outing in the just-concluded ICC T20 World Cup. Having lost its initial games to arch-rival Pakistan and New Zealand, it was eventually knocked out of the Super 12 stage, despite winning the remaining games against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia. Consequently, India did not make any significant improvement in the ICC T20I Rankings.
As per the latest updates rankings, wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are the only two Indians that feature in the top-ten batter's rankings. While Rahul is placed sixth, Kohli is down to eighth, as new T20I skipper Rohit Sharma has dropped to the 16th spot. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam leads the list.
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Among the bowlers, none of the Indians features in the top ten. The highest-ranked Indian happens to be pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is placed 15th. The list is led by Sri Lankan pacer Wanindu Hasaranga. Also, none of the Indians is among the top 20 list of the all-rounders, while Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi leads the list.
As for the team rankings, India continues to retain its second spot with 264 rating points. World champion Australia has managed to rise to the sixth spot, with 246 rating points, behind Pakistan (third), New Zealand (fourth) and South Africa (fifth). The ranking list is dominated by England, with 278 rating points.
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India and New Zealand clash in a three-match T20I series from Friday. Although India making a clean sweep would not affect its current ranking and allow it to stay second, a 1-2 or 0-3 loss could drop it to third or fourth, respectively. On the other hand, a 3-0 whitewash for New Zealand would help it bag the third spot. However, it would also depend on Pakistan's performance in the three T20Is in Bangladesh.