Abhishek Sharma reclaims No. 1 spot, Shreyas Iyer slips amid lean patch

Abhishek Sharma reclaimed the top T20I batting rank after his 35-ball century against New Zealand in Wellington on Tuesday. His rise displaced Ishan Kishan, while Shreyas Iyer slipped four places amid a lean run.Abhishek Sharma reclaimed the No. 1 spot in ICC T20I rankings (AFP Photo)New Delhi,Oct 28, 2026 14:59 ISTAbhishek Sharma reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men's T20I batting rankings after his breathtaking century against New Zealand in Wellington, while India captain Shreyas Iyer's recent struggles with the bat have seen him slip four to No.9.Abhishek returned to the summit on Wednesday after smashing 113 off just 38 balls in the third T20I against New Zealand on Tuesday. The left-hander reached his century in just 35 deliveries, powering India to a six-wicket victory and an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.His explosive knock proved decisive in the rankings battle, helping him displace teammate Ishan Kishan, who had taken the top position in July following India's T20I series against Ireland.Ishan has slipped to No. 3 with Pakistan's Shahibzada Farhan climbing to the second spot in the latest batting rankings. Abhishek had first reached the No. 1 spot in July 2025, overtaking Australia's Travis Head. He held the position for nearly a year before Kishan's consistent performances, including his contributions during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, pushed him to the top.Abhishek's latest innings underlined his ability to make an immediate impact at the international level. Chasing New Zealand's 198 for three, India raced to 199 for four in just 13.2 overs, with Abhishek and teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi setting the tone in a blistering start. Sooryavanshi contributed 45 off 19 balls as the pair put on 133 runs for the opening wicket. Abhishek struck nine fours and 11 sixes, finishing with a strike rate of nearly 298 to cap a dominant performance.The left-hander had also made useful contributions in the first two matches of the series, scoring 29 and 27 respectively, before producing his match-winning century in Wellington.While Abhishek's return to the top was a reward for his latest display of power-hitting, Iyer has endured a contrasting run since announcing himself with a maiden T20I century against the West Indies in Lucknow earlier this month.Iyer smashed an unbeaten 102 off 43 balls in the series opener against the West Indies, a performance that propelled him into the top five of the T20I batting rankings. However, the India captain has struggled to maintain that momentum in New Zealand.After scoring 42 in the opening T20I, Iyer managed just seven and five in his next two outings. His latest innings in Wellington was particularly difficult, as he scored five off 10 deliveries before being dismissed by Mitchell Santner.India's aggressive approach meant Iyer's struggle did not affect the result, with the visitors completing the chase with 40 balls to spare. However, his recent scores represent a sharp dip after his impressive start to the home series against the West Indies.Indian batters will be looking to consolidate their spots in the top 10, given there are two more T20Is in New Zealand. The fourth match between the two sides will be played in Auckland on Friday before the series finale in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1.ICC T20I Batting Rankings for Men (As of October 28, 2026)No. 1 - Abhishek Sharma - India - 897 pointsNo. 2 - Sahibzada Farhan - Pakistan - 883 pointsNo. 3 - Ishan Kishan - India - 866 pointsNo. 4 - Harry Brook - England - 793 pointsNo. 5 - Jos Buttler - England - 789 pointsNo. 5 (joint) - Dewald Brevis - South Africa - 789 pointsNo. 7 - Phil Salt - England - 775 pointsNo. 8 - Shai Hope - West Indies - 759 pointsNo. 9 - Shreyas Iyer - India - 758 pointsNo. 10 - Tilak Varma - India - 724 points- Ends