Smriti Mandhana moves into the top 3 of ICC T20I rankings, Jemimah Rodrigues also makes gains after Asian Games gold medal
Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has risen a spot in the ICC women's T20I rankings for batters to break into the top three. With 712 rating points, she replaced South African star Laura Wolvaardt (703) and is now only behind Australia's Tahlia McGrath (784) and Beth Mooney (777).
Mandhana led India in their first two matches of the Asian Games 2023 in Harmanpreet Kaur's absence.
She ended it as the third-highest run-scorer with 80 runs at an average of 26.67 and a strike rate of 109.59. The left-handed batter also top-scored in the final with a calm and composed 46 (45).
Mandhana was well supported by Jemimah Rodrigues in the final. Rodrigues was the top run-scorer of the tournament with 109 runs at a strike rate of 129.76. Her exploits helped her jump a spot in the ICC women's T20I rankings too. She's now placed 12th and has pushed Kaur, who only played the final, to 13th.
Runners-up Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu had an underwhelming tournament and fell two spots to sit at joint-seventh with Meg Lanning.
Multiple Indian bowlers drop places in the ICC women's T20I rankings
The bowling rankings saw a much bigger shake-up, especially for the Indians. Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Sneh Rana, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad, all fell one place each. Deepti, especially, struggled for consistency at the Asian Games and slipped to fourth place, making way for Australia's Darcie Brown.
England's Sophie Ecclestone and South Africa's Nonkululeko Mlaba are the top two.
Pooja Vastrakar, though, was in excellent form at the Asian Games and picked up five wickets at an average of 7.60, helping her jump a spot to 32nd in the rankings.
Sri Lanka's Inoka Ranaweera gained a place too and now sits fifth while Pakistan's Nashra Sandhu, who picked up three wickets, rose five spots to sit seventh.