ICC T20I Rankings: Why Abhishek Sharma Remains No.1 Batter Despite His Poor T20 WC Form? Explained

Abhishek Sharma remains No.1 in the latest ICC Men’s T20I rankings despite poor T20 WC 2026 form, thanks to his dominant 2025 and a strong points gap. Ishan Kishan enters the top 5, while Tilak Varma slips down the rankings.

Team India left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma has retained the top spot in the latest Men’s T20I rankings, which was released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, February 25.

The latest Men’s T20I rankings were published amid the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, which has reached the Super 8 stage, ahead of the clash between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. In the latest update, Abhishek Sharma has continued to hold the top spot since his rise to the pinnacle of the T20I rankings in 2025.

The maurauding left-handed opener has been India’s key player in the shortest format at the international level since 2025, consistently providing explosive starts and dominating the powerplay, which has helped him accumulate ranking points throughout the last year. Abhishek Sharma’s top-order explosiveness has helped him to has helped him to maintain his No.1 T20I batting spot, achieving a record rating of 931 points in 2025.

Abhishek Retains No.1 Despite T20 WC Form

Though Abhishek Sharma has often been known for his explosiveness and powerplay dominator at the top, he has struggled to gain consistency in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The southpaw has recorded three successive ducks against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands in the group stage before a 15-run dismissal in the Super 8 match against South Africa.

Despite a poor run of form in his debut World Cup, Abhishek Sharma has retained his top spot in the T20I rankings with a rating of 877, down from 909 points. The left-handed opener has maintained a 62-point lead over England opener Phil Salt, who is in second spot with 815 points.

Even after registering three consecutive ducks in the group stage of the tournament, Abhishek Sharma’s No.1 T20I ranking remained intact. However, the ratings have dipped due to his low scores in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, reflecting his recent poor form. For the first time, the Punjab batter’s ratings went below 900 points since his record‑breaking peak in 2025.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma’s opening partner, Ishan Kishan, broke intothe top 5 of the Men’s T20I rankings, thanks to his consistent performance in the T20I series against New Zealand and the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Ishan is currently at the fifth spot with a rating of 742 points, 23 points short of his career best rating of 765, which he achieved in 2022.

Another left-handed batter, Tilak Varma, was dropped to seventh place from fourth position due to his unavailability for the entire T20I series against New Zealand and inconsistent performance in the T20 World Cup 2026, where he has aggregated just 107 runs at a strike rate of 118 in five matches.

Why is Abhishek Still at the Top despite Poor Form?

The inconsistency in his performance has not affected Abhishek Sharma’s hold at the top of the Men’s T20I rankings, apart from the drop in the ratings. This has key factors behind the southpaw’s continued No.1 ranking in the Men’s T20Is. Abhishek entered the tournament with a rating of 929 points, which was the highest among other batters, thanks to his consistent performance last year.

The point gap has acted as a safety net for Abhishek Sharma, allowing him to retain the No.1 T20I batting spot despite his struggles in the ongoing World Cup. The southpaw’s dominant 2025 season, where he scored 859 runs, including a century and 5 fifties, at an average of 42.95 and a strike rate of 193.46, has ensured that his ranking points remain higher than his closest competitors.

Additionally, according to the ICC algorithm, the performance over the last 12-15 months is taken into account, and Abhishek Sharma’s prolific 2025 season, where he scored a century against England, three fifties in the Asia Cup, and earned Player of the Series against Australia, has solidified his ranking points. His strike rate of 191.25 and a 14-ball fifty against New Zealand in the third T20I in January this year helped him stay No.1 despite poor World Cup form.

Therefore, Abhishek’s inconsistent performance in the T20 World Cup 2026 cannot overshadow his year of dominance, enabling him to maintain his No.1 T20I batting spot despite the recent slump in form. While his ratings might have dipped during the T20 World Cup, Abhishek Sharma’s consistent performance last year ensures that he remains the top T20I batter in the world.

Abhishek Sharma to Feature in Crucial Super 8 Match vs Zimbabwe?

As Team India takes on Zimbabwe in a crucial T20 World Cup Super 8 clash in Chennai on Thursday, February 25, following a heavy 76-run defeat to South Africa, which saw their net run rate (NRR) plunge to -3.888, significantly denting their semifinal chances, Abhishek Sharma’s form has become a cause of concern.

Though there have been reports of Abhishek getting dropped from the Zimbabwe clash, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backed the southpaw to perform in a crucial Super 8 fixture, stating that the team management’s focus is to keep him in a positive state of mind, adding that past performances show his capability to deliver big performances.

“We lost one game only, it was a good game for them. We did not bat well. Abhishek looked good in the last game; overthinking about one individual does not make sense. It puts too much pressure on them. Our job is to keep him in a good frame of mind,” Kotak said at the press conference.

“So when he was scoring 80, 70, 90 in 30 balls, 100 in 40, 50 balls, that time nobody was discussing his game. Once he starts hitting the ball again, you will see the same Abhishek again. There is no doubt. Now, in this game, nobody can give a guarantee that he will do it in the next match. But I think he is not far (from a big score)," he added.

In his T20I career, Abhishek Sharma has amassed 1312 runs, including two centuries and 8 fifties, at an average of 33.64 and a strike rate of 191.25 in 42 matches.