Ishan Kishan CROWNED new No.1 ranked T20I batter; Travis Head becomes best Test batter
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Ishan Kishan has been in superb touch in T20I cricket in 2026.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the latest rankings on July 1. One of the most notable updates was about the star Indian left-hander, Ishan Kishan. He has topped the leaderboard in the Men’s T20I batting rankings, with 876 points to his name.
Kishan replaced Abhishek Sharma, who led the charts for a long time. The opening batter is still standing close to Kishan in the table, at second spot with 869 points.
India are set to play a five-match T20I series against England from July 1, where both these batters will be in action. Three of India’s batsmen from the current team are in the top 10 of the rankings. On the other hand, Phil Salt and Jos Butler from England too, find themselves a part of the Top 10. It will be an intense clash between the two former T20 World Cup winners.
Ishan Kishan’s remarkable rise to No.1
The 27-year-old flamboyant batter was going through a rough phase in later 2023, when he returned back to India, in the middle of the series against South Africa. He cited mental fatigue and personal reasons. He also withdrew his name from the Test squad.
Eventually, he was removed from the central contract and was dropped from squads. He missed out on the opportunity to play the T20 World Cup 2024 as well. Kishan was asked to play domestic cricket, to crawl his way back up to the Indian side.
Circumstantially, he was also released by Mumbai Indians, and started a new chapter with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in 2024. He played the domestic leagues, won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, leading Jharkhand to their maiden title, and scoring heaps of runs in that campaign.
Kishan was then picked for the Indian T20I squad for series against New Zealand in 2026. His impeccable performance in that series also earned him a spot in the XI for World Cup. He played memorable knocks in the campaign, bailing out the team from difficult positions.
In IPL 2026 as well, Kishan scored 602 runs in 15 innings, including 6 half-centuries. He played with a strike rate above 182, and was also the captain of SRH for the first half of the tournament.
The wicket-keeper batter from Jharkhand has now cemented his place in the T20I side, and also earned a comeback in the ODI team, where he most recently scored a scintillating century against Afghanistan.
Travis Head becomes new No.1 ranked Test batter
The Men’s Test Batting Rankings had the English batters Harry Brook and Joe Root for a very long period, until today.
Australia’s explosive left-hander Travis Head has climbed up to the peak, with 853 points. Harry Brook is close second, with 852.
Who is the No.1 ranked T20I batsman?
Ishan Kishan is the No.1 ranked T20I batsman.
Who is the No.1 ranked Test batsman?
Travis Head is the No.1 ranked Test batsman.
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something she truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, she has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, she first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.