Deepti Sharma Tops ICC Women’s T20I Bowling Rankings
In a significant milestone, Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma has reached the top of the ICC Women’s T20I bowling rankings for the very first time. In the latest update, South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt has also regained her position as the No. 1 ODI batter.
Deepti’s impressive performance in the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam, where she took one wicket for just 20 runs in four overs, played a key role in her rise. This match, which India secured by eight wickets, earned Deepti five rating points, allowing her to surpass Australia’s Annabel Sutherland, who had been leading since August. Now, Deepti is at the pinnacle of the T20I bowling list by a narrow margin of just one point.
India’s bowling rankings saw some movement as well, with Arundhati Reddy making a five-place climb to 36th position following the same match.
In the batting rankings for T20Is, Jemimah Rodrigues stood out for India. Her unbeaten half-century against Sri Lanka, which earned her the Player of the Match title, helped her rise five spots to ninth place. She joins Indian stars Smriti Mandhana, who is currently ranked third, and Shafali Verma, who holds the tenth spot.
On the ODI side, Smriti Mandhana slipped to second place in the batting rankings, making way for Laura Wolvaardt, who returned to the top after an outstanding home series against Ireland, where she scored centuries in two matches, leading South Africa to a clean sweep of 3-0.
Sune Luus from South Africa also saw a boost, jumping seven places to 34th in the ODI batting rankings and climbing 11 spots to 22nd among ODI all-rounders due to her strong performances with both bat and ball.
Despite the series loss, Ireland found some positives. Arlene Kelly rose five places to rank 27th in the ODI bowling list, while batters Gaby Lewis and Amy Hunter climbed to 18th and 28th, respectively.
This update highlights the exciting shifts in rankings and performances in women’s cricket.
