Deepti Sharma Climbs to No. 2 in T20I Bowling Rankings After Asia Cup Heroics

India allrounder Deepti Sharma has been the biggest gainer in the latest ICC Women’s T20I bowling rankings, climbing four places to second after a stellar performance at the Women’s Asia Cup. She rose to prominence after being the top wicket-taker of the tournament with 14 wickets in a title-winning show.

India had a one woman army with Deepti who was stepping up at every opportunity as she just whirled the ball away with her off spin. She helped India clinch the title and their seventh overall (in nine editions) of the Women’s Asia Cup, following a 72-run win over Sri Lanka in Dubai International’s final on Sunday.

India leg spinner N Shree Charani holds onto the number one spot on the table. Her 804 rating points are a career-best score for her and the highest ever by an Indian in the women’s T20I bowling rankings. Charani has overtaken Mithali Raj of the previous Indian record of 780 points which was set in 2011.

Charani is only two points from tying Megan Schutt’s all-time record of 806 rating points that she set in 2018. Her meteoric rise highlights the increased strength of India with ball in hand, particularly in the spin-bowling department.

Deepti was not the only Indian player who got an additional reward for India’s successful Asia Cup campaign. Following an incredible tournament with the bat, Shafali Verma ascended one place to bag the sixth position in the T20I batting rankings.

The explosive opener ended the Asia Cup as the highest run scorer in the competition, with a whopping 236 runs to his name. With three half-centuries to her name, and also having smashed at a remarkable strike rate of 171.01, she proved to be the key player for India at the top end of their batting order.

Meanwhile, Shafali has closed the gap with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the batting rankings, where Mandhana is in 5th place. The two Indian openers are now separated by just four rating points, making the fight for the higher position one to watch out for in the next update.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu continues at third in T20I allrounders. A phenomenal spell against Indonesia, which saw her take seven wickets for just five runs, led to her rising to No 27 in the bowling rankings.

Following their victory in the Asia Cup, a number of Indian players have risen through the ranks and also further reinforce how much depth this team has at least as far as their batting and bowling is concerned.