Abhishek Sharma Sets World Record: Highest T20 Rating Player Ever

Indian Cricket Team batter Abhishek Sharma achieved a massive feat in the history of T20I cricket. The opening batter, Abhishek Sharma sets world record for the highest rating points for batters in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. Abhishek Sharma now has 931 rating points, which is 12 more than the previous best rating of 919 attained by England’s Dawid Malan in 2020. This is also the highest rating by any Indian in the T20Is, going past Virat Kohli’s tally.

Abhishek Sharma achieved the feat after his heroics in the Asia Cup 2025. The opening batter was one of the major reasons behind India winning the title without even losing a single game in the tournament. They defeated Pakistan in the final to lift their 9th title. Abhishek Sharma was the highest run-getter in the Asia Cup 2025. He mustered 314 runs in the tournament with a strike rate of over 200. He also hammered three consecutive half-centuries in the tournament.

Abhishek Sharma, who has been the number-one-ranked T20I batter for a while, came up with a magnificent campaign in the Asia Cup 2025. In almost all the games, he provided India with a blistering start and outplayed the opposition in power play. He slammed three consecutive fifties and helped India become the first team to qualify for the final. His performance against Pakistan was the highlight of his campaign as he was right at the face of the bowlers.

Tilak Varma, Pathum Nissanka Make Gains in ICC T20I rankings for Batters

Apart from Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma also made gains. He achieved 28 rating points in his rankings, and this came after his unbeaten knocks of 49 against Sri Lanka and 69 against Pakistan in the final. He solidified his position at the third rank. Both the Indian batters now will have a great opportunity to gain even more rankings when they go to Australia, becoming the highest T20 rating player. India will take on Australia in a five-match T20I series later this month. The series will be important for both teams ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka was also among the ones who made massive gains in the ICC T20I rankings for batters. After his sensational ton against India in the last game of the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2025, he moved into the top five of the rankings. Alongside him, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan, who was the leading run-getter for his side in the Asia Cup 2026, moved 11 places to 13th. India’s Sanju Samson and Bangladesh’s Saif Hassan are now at 31st and 36th position, respectively.

Other Players Got Rewarded in ICC Rankings

In terms of bowling, Kuldeep Yadav, who was the leading wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2025 with 17 wickets, moved up nine spots to bag 12th position. Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi has now bagged the 13th spot after moving 12 places up in the rankings following his heroics in the Asia Cup 2025. Also, Saim Ayub, who failed with the bat and shone with the ball in the Asia Cup 2025, is now the new number-one-ranked T20I all-rounder. He moved four slots up, replacing the best all-rounder in India, Hardik Pandya.