Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli [Source: AFP]The International Cricket Council (ICC) releases its ODI, Test and T20I player rankings every week, rewarding players for their consistent performances at the international level. Over the years, several Indian batters have dominated the shortest format of the game, but only four Indian players have managed to reach the coveted No.1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings.Let’s take a look at the Indian players who have achieved the No.1 position in the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings.Indian Players Who Have Reached No 1 In ICC T20I Batting RankingsVirat KohliVirat Kohli became the first Indian batter to reach the No.1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings in 2015. The former India captain climbed to the top after dethroning Australia’s Aaron Finch.Kohli enjoyed one of the most dominant periods by any T20I batter. He remained the world’s No.1 batter for a combined 1,202 days. During that period, he also achieved a career-best rating of 909 points.His consistency, ability to chase difficult targets, and match-winning performances made him one of the greatest T20I batters of all time.Suryakumar YadavThe second Indian batter to reach the summit was Suryakumar Yadav, who transformed T20 batting with his fearless and innovative stroke play.Popularly known as India’s “360-degree batter,” Suryakumar became the No.1 T20I batter on November 2, 2022, after a sensational run during the group stage of the T20 World Cup. His brilliant performances helped him overtake Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan in the ICC rankings.Moreover, Suryakumar enjoyed a prolonged stay at the top. Although he briefly slipped from the No.1 position on a few occasions, he consistently reclaimed the spot throughout 2022, 2023 and 2024.Notably, he also achieved an outstanding career-best rating of 912 points, the highest ever by an Indian batter in the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings.Abhishek SharmaAbhishek Sharma is the third Indian batter to become the world’s No.1 T20I batter.The left-handed opener burst onto the international scene after an impressive IPL 2024 season. His outstanding batting at the top of the order quickly made him an important member of India’s T20I side.Following a string of outstanding performances for India, Abhishek climbed to the top of the ICC rankings on July 30, 2025, after overtaking Australia’s Travis Head.He then enjoyed a dominant 12-month reign as the world’s No.1 T20I batter. During that period, he consistently delivered match-winning performances and established himself as one of the most destructive batters in cricket.Ishan KishanMeanwhile, Ishan Kishan has now become the latest Indian batter to achieve the prestigious milestone.The wicketkeeper-batter returned to India’s T20I setup after a gap of nearly three years and immediately made an impact with his aggressive batting. Before returning to the national side, Kishan impressed everyone with his performances in domestic cricket, which earned him another opportunity at the highest level.He carried that form into the T20 World Cup 2026, where he played a crucial role in India’s title-winning campaign. Kishan scored 317 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 193.29, helping India lift their third T20 World Cup trophy.Initially, Ishan Kishan was ranked No.2 in the ICC T20I batting rankings. However, the latest rankings, released on Wednesday following India’s 2-0 T20I series defeat to Ireland in Belfast, saw him move to the top of the list.Although Ishan Kishan managed only 13 runs in two innings against Ireland, his exceptional performances during the T20 World Cup were enough to take him to a career-best rating of 876 points.At the same time, Abhishek Sharma slipped to the second position after a relatively quiet Ireland series. As a result, Ishan Kishan dethroned his India teammate to become the new No.1 T20I batter in the world.Also Read: ETPL 2026 Player Draft: Top Picks, Salaries, Teams, Full Squads Revealed
