Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Deepti Sharma became the World No.1 T 20 in the latest ICC Women’s Player Rankings. Deepti secured the top spot among T20I bowlers for the first time in her career after her performance in the opening match of India’s T20I series against Sri Lanka at home. Meanwhile, Wolvaardt regained the No. 1 ranking in the ODI batters list, previously held by India star Smriti Mandhana, following the conclusion of South Africa’s ODI series against Ireland.
Australia’s Annabel Sutherland has been the top-ranked T20I bowler since August, but Deepti’s recent performance of 1-20 from four overs against Sri Lanka in Vizag was enough to propel the India star to the number one spot in the rankings. Deepti earned five rating points after India’s eight-wicket win, giving her a narrow one-point lead over her Australian rival at the top of the T20I bowling rankings.
Teammate Arundhati Reddy, who moved up five spots to 36th, also improved her rankings among T20I bowlers after the Sri Lanka match. Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues, another teammate, is the biggest climber on the latest T20I batter list, jumping five spots to reach ninth place overall.
Rodrigues scored an unbeaten half-century to earn Player of the Match against Sri Lanka. She also rose to the top 10 among T20I batters, alongside fellow Indians Mandhana (third) and Shafali Verma (10th). Mandhana, meanwhile, slipped to second position in the latest ODI batter rankings, as Wolvaardt regained her top spot after scoring a superb century in the final match of South Africa’s three-match series against Ireland at home. Wolvaardt scored centuries in the last two matches against Ireland as the Proteas won the series 3-0. South Africa’s highly consistent captain reached a new career-high rating, moving up one spot to surpass Mandhana at the top.
