ICC T20I Rankings: Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma attain career-best rankings

Indian batter Smriti Mandhana and bowler Deepti Sharma have registered significant gains in the latest ICC T20I rankings after their impressive performances in the recently concluded Women's Asia Cup.

As India Women won the title for the seventh time, the aforementioned players rose one spot each to second in the latest T20I rankings for batters and bowlers, respectively.

Mandhana slammed an unbeaten 51 off 25 balls in the title decider against Sri Lanka. The southpaw now has 730 rating points, just behind Australia opener Beth Mooney (743). She displaced another Australian player, Meg Lanning (725).

Indian stars on the rise ⬆⬆⬆

Lots of movement in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings after the conclusion of the #WomensAsiaCup2022 🏆

bit.ly/3yOKi29

Similarly, Deepti also rose to second spot in the T20I rankings for bowlers after picking up a record 13 wickets in the Women's Asia Cup. Despite going wicketless in the final, the spinner gave away only seven runs in her four overs.

With 742 rating points, she jumped ahead of Sarah Glenn (737). England’s Sophie Ecclestone is at the top of the charts with 756 rating points.

Meanwhile, Sneh Rana broke into the top 10 rankings for T20I bowlers. Renuka Singh, who picked up three wickets in the final against the Islanders, rose five spots to joint-third with Sarah Glenn.

Mandhana and Deepti help India win their seventh Women's Asia Cup trophy

Clinical performances from Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma helped the Women in Blue add another Asia Cup trophy to their cabinet. India Women beat Sri Lanka in a one-sided contest by eight wickets in the final. They have completely dominated the tournament as they won seven out of the eight editions of the Asia Cup.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will look to continue their purple patch and win the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. The side will chase their first-ever trophy in the tournament.

Say hello to the 7️⃣-time Asia Cup Champions! 👋 🏆

#TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/II9zNfon3d

Deepti, in particular, is pumped up for the showpiece T20 event. Speaking to Star Sports after the Asia Cup final, she said:

“This win gives us a lot of confidence going into the upcoming series as well.”

India Women will play arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match in Cape Town on February 12.