Shafali Verma closes in on top 5; Smriti Mandhana reaches career-best rating points in latest ICC Women's T20I Rankings

India's stunning win over Australia in the second T20I of the five-match series on Sunday saw a number of batters rise in the ICC Women's T20I Rankings. Shafali Verma overtook New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates into the sixth position after yet another impressive cameo against Australia.

Smriti Mandhana's 79 in the second T20I, followed by a blistering 13*(3) in the Super Over, earned her the Player of the Match award. The third-ranked player didn't rise in the ICC Women's T20I Rankings among batters, but her rating points have now reached 741, her personal best in this format.

Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh also played a role in the hosts' win over Australia as she smashed some mammoth sixes in the second innings as well as one in the Super Over. She has risen 11 spots to 44th position in the rankings.

Elsewhere, Jemimah Rodrigues (9th) and Harmanpreet Kaur (15th) maintained their positions, while Deepti Sharma slipped two spots to 33rd.

We have a new No.1 T20I batter 🤩

The latest changes on the @MRFWorldwide ICC Women’s Player Rankings ⬇️

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Tahlia McGrath is the new No. 1 batter in ICC Women's T20I Rankings

Meanwhile, Meg Lanning's absence at No. 3 made Australia promote Tahlia McGrath up the batting order and it is safe to say that it is working like a dream at the moment. McGrath has scored 110 runs from two innings against India this series and is yet to be dismissed.

This helped her leapfrog teammate and opener Beth Mooney into the No. 1 position in the ICC Women's T20I Rankings among batters, with 827 rating points in her kitty. Mooney has also enjoyed a fantastic series so far, with two half-centuries from two games and sits pretty in second position with 773 rating points.

Australian skipper Alyssa Healy (8th) and all-rounder Ashleigh Gardener (10th) have managed to hold on to their spots in the top 10.

The second leg of the series will now be played at the CCI (Brabourne Stadium), with the two teams having won one game apiece.