Deepti Sharma on cusp of top spot in T20I rankings following heroics in England
Deepti has been in the top 10 rankings for T20I bowlers for the majority of the last six years, but the 27-year-old has never held the top position despite maintaining great consistency in recent times.
The latest update to the T20I rankings has seen Deepti gain one spot and overtake Australia pacer Annabel Sutherland to regain second place on the rankings, with the right-arm now just eight rating points behind Pakistan's Sadia Iqbal at the top of the rankings, as per ICC.
Deepti earns her latest rise on the back of a three-wicket haul in the third game of India's five-match T20I series against England, and the off-spinner could claim top position from her Pakistan rival with some strong performances over the final two contests in the series. So far in the series, she has six wickets at an average of 14.83.
Teammate Arundhati Reddy is also on the rise, with the seamer gaining 11 places to jump to equal 43rd on the list for T20I bowlers following her own three-wicket haul in the most recent match of the series against England at The Oval.
There were gains for a host of England bowlers too following their narrow five-run triumph at the iconic London venue, with pacers Issy Wong (up three spots to equal 57th) and Lauren Filer (up 21 rungs to equal 68th) the two biggest risers as fellow quick Lauren Bell maintained fourth spot on the rankings.
Australia's Beth Mooney maintains her narrow advantage at the top of the rankings for T20I batters, though there is some change just outside the top 10 following some strong performances from players from England and India in their ongoing series.
India dynamo Jemimah Rodrigues gains two places to move to 12th overall after she contributed a half-century in the second match of the series in Bristol, while openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley are the big winners from an England perspective following their superb partnership at The Oval. The pair put on 137 for the opening wicket in decent time to help set up England's victory, with Wyatt-Hodge improving three spots to 14th on the T20I batter rankings as a result and Dunkley gaining four places to move to 26th on the same list. Dunkley played a knock of 75 while Danni scored 66, taking his team to a match-winning total of 171/9, which India missed out by five runs.
There are also some gains for England's premier spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who jumps three places to eighth on the list for T20I all-rounders following a career-best contribution of 35 with the bat during the second match of the series in Bristol. (ANI)
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