Ruturaj Gaikwad makes it into the top 10 of the ICC T20I Batting Rankings
Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad rose 13 places in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings to make it into the top 10. The right-handed batter recently scored a well-paced and unbeaten 77 runs off 47 balls in Team India's mammoth 100-run win over Zimbabwe in the second T20I in Harare.
After a shaky start to his T20I career, Gaikwad gained momentum in national colors during the build-up to the 2023 Asian Games. He went onto lead the nation to the gold medal and retained his place in the home T20I series against Australia, when the seniors were rested.
He scored his maiden T20I hundred during the third match of the series in Guwahati and found a role at No.3 in the new-age Indian setup led by Shubman Gill in Zimbabwe. His recent match-winning knock propels him to the seventh spot in the rankings for batters in the shortest format.
With senior members like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma paving the way for new blood after the 2024 T20 World Cup, top-order spots are up for grabs as India look to lay the foundations for the 2026 edition on home soil.
Gaikwad will have a chance of cementing his place in the top 10 or even advancing in the rankings if he plays the remainder of the five-match series. He is India's second highest ranked batter, with Suryakumar Yadav holding the second spot overall, only behind Travis Head.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has dropped three places to be outside the top 10, but he has a chance to regain lost ground as he is available for selection in the second half of the series.
Rinku Singh and Abhishek Sharma also advance in the batting rankings alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad
Rinku Singh and Abhishek Sharma also played a huge role in Team India posting 234-2 in the second T20I to return to winning ways. After a disappointing debut that resulted in a duck, Sharma made history by scoring a quickfire ton and giving the selectors a major headache already. The effort helps the left-handed batter to enter the ICC rankings in the 75th spot.
Rinku Singh, who was a travelling reserve for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup, chipped in with 48 runs off 22 deliveries to continue his impressive run in national colors. The finisher gained four spots courtesy of his heroics and finds himself in the 39th spot.