Shafali Verma Climbs T20I Rankings After Stellar Series Against Sri Lanka

Shafali Verma's Remarkable Rise in T20I Rankings

Dubai, Dec 30: Indian opener Shafali Verma has made headlines with her outstanding performance in the current T20I series against Sri Lanka, propelling her to the sixth position in the latest Women's T20I Batter Rankings.

The talented young player has advanced four spots, edging closer to the top ranking she previously achieved in 2020, making her only the second Indian cricketer, following Mithali Raj, to reach the number one spot in T20I cricket.

Shafali has rediscovered her exceptional form, building on her impressive display in last month's ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Final, where she scored 87 runs and took two wickets, playing a crucial role in leading India to its first-ever 50-over World Cup title.

Her remarkable performance has continued in the T20 format, where she has been in phenomenal form against Sri Lanka, scoring three half-centuries and topping the run charts in the series.

Currently, Shafali trails the top-ranked Australian batter Beth Mooney by just 60 rating points, highlighting her growing influence in the T20I arena.

Another Indian player, Richa Ghosh, has also made significant progress in the T20I batter rankings, moving up seven places to secure the 20th position after her match-winning 40 not out in the fourth game of the series against Sri Lanka.

India's bowling lineup has also seen improvements, with Renuka Singh and Shree Charani making notable advancements. Renuka, who achieved a remarkable four-wicket haul in the third match of the series, has jumped eight spots to enter the top six in the T20I bowler rankings.

Left-arm spinner Shree Charani has climbed 17 places to reach the 52nd position, while Vaishnavi Sharma has made an extraordinary leap of 390 places to land at 124th in her debut international series.

Deepti Sharma continues to dominate the T20I bowler rankings, while Hayley Matthews from the West Indies remains a strong contender among T20I all-rounders.

For Sri Lanka, left-handed opener Hasini Perera has made a significant jump of 114 places to 71st in the batter rankings following solid performances in the series, while Kavisha Dilhari has made a slight gain to reach 79th.

With India leading the five-match series 4-0 and aiming for a clean sweep on Tuesday, the rankings reflect their dominance, showcasing the rise of both batters and bowlers.