Latest T20I rankings: Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah climb after stellar India vs South Africa series

India’s rising batting star Tilak Varma climbed to the third position in the ICC Men's T20I Rankings for batters after delivering a standout performance in the T20I series against South Africa at home. The series, which India won 3-1, also brought movement in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings for performers from the just-completed five-match set between India and South Africa. The final match turned into a run-fest in Ahmedabad, with India posting 231 in their first innings. Tilak Varma was the top scorer for India, smashing 73 off 42 balls, which propelled him past Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka into third place with 805 rating points. Dewald Brevis contributed a quickfire 31, lifting him to the 10th spot.Tilak finished the series as the leading run-getter, amassing 187 runs in four innings at an average of 62.33, with a strike rate of 131.69 and two fifties, including a best of 73.India’s total was defended thanks to Jasprit Bumrah’s excellent spell (2/17 off four overs), as he was the only bowler in the match to finish with an economy under a run per ball. This performance contributed to a 10-slot jump for Bumrah to a shared 18th position in the bowling rankings, tying Maheesh Theekshana (622) in that spot.Varun Chakaravarthy’s four-wicket haul reinforced his hold on the top spot in the bowling rankings, with a rating of 804, well ahead of Jacob Duffy in second place with 699. Varun also received the Player of the Series award, ending the series with 10 wickets at an average of 11.20, including a four-wicket performance.