Abhishek Sharma's blistering batting lifts him to No. 2 in T20 rankings
Abhishek Sharma climbed to second in the ICC T20 batting rankings after strong knocks against Afghanistan, as India also sealed the series.
Left-hand batter Abhishek Sharma's batting in the T20 series against Afghanistan has drawn attention. The in-form Indian batter has gained big in the ICC's latest T20 rankings, climbing one spot to second after strong batting in the first two matches.
After scoring 82 runs in the first T20 match and 39 in the second, Abhishek Sharma overtook Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan to reach second place. Indian batter Ishan Kishan remains at number one in the T20 rankings. There is a gap of 51 rating points between Ishan Kishan at number one and Abhishek Sharma at number two.
Sanju Samson, who played a blistering innings of 57 runs off just 22 balls in the second T20 match, has also benefited in the rankings. He has jumped four places to reach number 30. Indian bowlers, who performed well in the T20 series, have also strengthened their positions with big jumps in the rankings.
Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who troubled the opposition with his googlies and spin, has climbed two places to reach fifth in the world rankings. India's lead fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has made a big jump of seven places and returned to the top 10, reaching number 10.
In the second T20 International of the series at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi, Afghanistan lost the toss, batted first and scored 159 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs, setting India a target of 160 to win. Chasing the target, India won the match, losing 3 wickets in just 14.5 overs, to win the series. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson both batted explosively, scoring 82 runs in the powerplay. The third match will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 17.
