![India loses number one T20I ranking [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1783793179238_Shreyas_Iyer.jpg?type=hq)
India loses number one T20I ranking [Source: AFP]
T20I cricket’s greatest reign has officially come to an abrupt end. Defending two-time T20 World champions India just suffered its sixth straight defeat, including four in a single series against hosts England to lose their longstanding T20I crown.
It is worth noting that the Indian cricket team attained its number one ICC T20I ranking way back in February 2022 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Since August 2023 the following year, the ‘Men in Blue’ commenced an unimaginable dominance in the format before taking flight for Europe in June 2026.
World Champion Team India loses T20I ranking crown
India lost its fifth T20I of the away series against hosts England by 56 runs at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on July 11. The outcome not only led to India’s shambolic 0-4 series defeat, but also marked the team’s second successive series loss after getting humbled by Ireland late last month.
Notably, the series defeat in Ireland was preceded by an extraordinary sequence of 16 straight series victories, which even included a couple of T20 World Cups (2024 and 2026), an Asia Cup title (2025) and an Asian Games gold (2023).
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The ‘Men in Blue’, under the leadership of new captain Shreyas Iyer, has now slipped to number two on the latest ICC Men’s T20I team rankings, as updated on July 11 after the Southampton T20I verdict.
Greatest T20I reign comes to an end: Timeline of India’s ranking
Team India became the number one T20I men’s side in the world in February 2022, attaining the feat for the sixth time in history and for the first time in more than six years.
Since then, the ‘Men in Blue’ went on to retain its number one status on the ICC charts for the next four-and-a-half years. Overall, the Indian cricket team held its top position for 1,605 days up until July 2026, which remains the longest T20I streak as number one side by any team in history by a landslide.
To put the aforementioned numbers in clearer perspective, the Pakistan cricket team held the previous record by being the number one side for 824 days between January 2018 and April 2020.
Who is the number one T20I side in the world?
India’s dramatic fall became England’s unprecedented gain as the two-time World Cup winners became the new number one side in T20I rankings.
Under the leadership of Harry Brook, the England team currently holds 268 rating points on the ICC charts to remain on par with India. However, the Englishmen have garnered those points in just 38 matches as compared to India’s 58.
It is worth noting that England also reached the semifinal of this year’s 2026 T20 World Cup, only to lose out to eventual winners India in a high-scoring cracker in Mumbai.
Much to ponder for new captain Shreyas Iyer
India, a team that registered 16 straight series wins in a row between August 2023 and June 2026 which included two T20 World Cup titles, has now conceded two successive series whitewashes at the hands of Ireland and England in the space of just two weeks.
Notably, the two tours also coincided with the ascension of Shreyas Iyer as new national captain. Yet to notch up a single win in his eight games as captain so far, India’s recent misery has left the team with plenty of questions to answer before the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup.
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