ICC T20I Player Rankings: Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh rise
India's T20I captain Hardik Pandya reaped dividends after bagging the Player of the Series award as India beat New Zealand 2-1. Pandya delivered a match-winning spell in the series decider, taking four wickets. As a result, he has climbed to the second spot in the ICC T20I Rankings (all-rounders). Meanwhile, Indian seamer Arshdeep Singh rose eight spots in the bowling rankings.
Pandya rewarded for his form
As stated, Pandya guided India to a 2-1 series win after the Men in Blue lost the series opener. He was adjudged the Player of the Series for recording 66 runs and five wickets. Pandya now occupies the second spot in the ICC T20I All-rounder Rankings with 250 rating points. He is only behind Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan (252).
Arshdeep rises in bowling rankings
Arshdeep also took five wickets in the three-match T20I series, including 2/16 in the decider. As a result, the left-arm pacer rose eight spots to 13th in the T20I Bowling Rankings. Arshdeep, who rose to prominence in the shortest format last year, was nominated for the ICC Emerging Men's Cricketer of the Year. Although he couldn't bag the award, his valiant performances grabbed eyeballs.
Record-breaker Shubman Gill enters top 100
India's emerging star Shubman Gill slammed an incredible 126* off 63 balls against New Zealand in the series decider. Gill's 126* is now the highest-individual T20I score by an Indian batter. The 23-year-old has risen a staggering 168 places having entered the top 100 in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings. He now occupies the 30th spot after playing only six T20Is.
Suryakumar Yadav is the top-ranked batter
Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav remains the top-ranked player in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings. He is the only batter with rating points of over 900. Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan trails him (836). Meanwhile, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan is still the number-one bowler.
What about ODI Rankings?
England captain Jos Buttler jumped six spots to 20th in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings. He slammed a century in the third ODI against South Africa. Dawid Malan, who shared a 232-run partnership with Buttler, rose 31 places to 58th in the rankings. Jofra Archer, having returned to international cricket, took six wickets in the match. He climbed to 22nd in the bowling rankings.
