In a surprising turn of events, Tilak Varma has moved up to second place in the ICC T20I batting rankings, despite not having played an international T20 since February 2, 2025. The latest update from the International Cricket Council put the young India batter back in the headlines as he jumped from third to second place in the standings purely due to changes in points for other players. Varma’s elevation came at the expense of Australia’s Travis Head, who held the No. 2 position before the update. However, Head endured a poor run of form in the current T20I series against South Africa, scoring just 5 runs off 8 balls in the second T20I after registering 2 in the first match. He had also missed the preceding five-match T20I series against West Indies. As a result, Head’s rating dropped to 782 points, pushing him two places down to fourth, while England’s Phil Salt moved into third place.
At the top of the T20I batting rankings is India opener Abhishek Sharma, followed by Tilak Varma, Phil Salt, and now Travis Head in fourth.
Other Notable Movements in T20I Rankings
In the same update, Yashasvi Jaiswal slipped out of the top 10, falling to 11th spot after Australia’s Tim David rose to 10th. David’s promotion was fueled by a brilliant run of form including back-to-back fifties against South Africa after smashing a hundred against West Indies.
South Africa’s Dewald Brevis made perhaps the biggest leap of all, soaring 80 places to 21st after his record-breaking century in the second T20I against Australia. Brevis’ knock of 125 off 56 balls* set up South Africa’s commanding win. The Proteas posted 218 in the first innings and bowled out Australia for 165, sealing a 53-run victory.
In ODI Rankings Shubman Gill remains No. 1 with 784 points, Rohit follows with 756 points, and Babar holds 751.
Bowling Rankings: Big Jumps for Seales, Motie, and Henry
In the ICC ODI bowling rankings, West Indies pacer Jayden Seales made huge strides, jumping 24 spots to 33rd after his career-best performance of 6 for 18 against Pakistan. Another Caribbean bowler, Gudakesh Motie, also moved up, climbing five positions to 12th. The top 10 spots, however, remained unchanged. In Tests, the sole change in the bowling top 10 came as New Zealand’s Matt Henry replaced Australia skipper Pat Cummins in third place. Henry’s rise followed an exceptional series against Zimbabwe, where he picked up 16 wickets at an average of 9.12, including a six-wicket haul.
Summary of Key ICC Rankings Updates (August 13, 2025)
T20I Batting: Abhishek Sharma (1), Tilak Varma (2), Phil Salt (3), Travis Head (4)
ODI Batting: Shubman Gill (1), Rohit Sharma (2), Babar Azam (3)
ODI Bowling: Jayden Seales up 24 spots to 33rd; Gudakesh Motie up to 12th
Test Bowling: Matt Henry takes 3rd from Pat Cummins