India opener Shafali Verma’s recent resurgence has been further fuelled by her impressive performances in the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka, helping her climb to sixth spot in the latest Women’s T20I batter rankings.
The young Indian star has gained four places, bringing her closer to the top position she previously held in 2020, becoming only the second Indian player after Mithali Raj to achieve the number one ranking in T20I cricket.
Shafali has rediscovered her best form, building on her brilliant display in last month’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final. There, she scored 87 runs and took two wickets, playing a pivotal role in securing India’s first-ever 50-over World Cup title.
Her stellar form has carried over into the T20 format, where she has been in sensational touch against Sri Lanka, scoring three half-centuries and leading the run-scoring charts in the series.
Shafali now trails top-ranked Australian batter Beth Mooney by just 60 rating points, highlighting her growing dominance in the T20I format.
Richa Ghosh has also enjoyed a significant rise in the T20I batter rankings. The 22-year-old moved up seven places to joint 20th following her match-winning 40 not out in the fourth game of the series against Sri Lanka.
India’s bowling ranks have also seen a surge, with Renuka Singh and Shree Charani making notable gains. Renuka, who claimed a brilliant four-wicket haul in the third match of the series, jumped eight spots to break into the top six of the T20I bowler rankings.
Left-arm spinner Shree Charani gained 17 places to reach 52nd, while Vaishnavi Sharma registered a remarkable jump of 390 places to reach 124th following her debut international series.
Meanwhile, Deepti Sharma continues to hold the top spot among T20I bowlers, while West Indies star Hayley Matthews maintains her lead in the T20I all-rounder rankings.
For Sri Lanka, left-handed opener Hasini Perera climbed 114 places to 71st in the batter rankings after solid performances in the series, while Kavisha Dilhari made a modest rise to 79th.
With India taking a commanding 4–0 lead in the five-match series and aiming for a clean sweep on Tuesday, the rankings reflect their dominance, with both batters and bowlers on the rise.
(IANS)
