England have reclaimed the top spot in the ICC T20I rankings after completing a 3-0 series victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday, pushing India down to second despite the Men in Blue recently completing a clean sweep against Afghanistan.
India and England are currently level on 269 rating points, but England have moved ahead based on their ranking points from fewer matches. England have accumulated their points from 41 T20Is, while India’s total has come from 64 matches.
The change marks the second time this year that England have taken the No. 1 position from India. England had previously moved to the top after defeating India 4-0 in a five-match series earlier in the year.
India later regained momentum, winning their T20I series against Zimbabwe 3-0 and Afghanistan 3-0. The team is now preparing for the Asian Games, where it will look to defend its gold medal in the T20 format.
England, meanwhile, have enjoyed a strong run under Harry Brook’s captaincy. Since Brook took over as England’s white-ball captain, the team has won 23 of its 26 T20I matches.
The latest series against Sri Lanka ended with an eight-wicket victory for England in the third T20I. Brook was named Player of the Series after contributing with both the bat and as captain. He also scored a century in the opening match.
Brook said England’s success had come from their ability to adapt to different conditions rather than relying on one particular style of play.
He also praised several members of the squad, including Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson and Jos Buttler, for their contributions during the series.
India’s T20I campaign this year has gone through several phases. After Shreyas Iyer took over the captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav, India began with defeats against Ireland and England. They lost the Ireland series 2-0 before suffering a 4-0 defeat against England.
The team subsequently recovered with consecutive 3-0 series wins over Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
India also defeated England in the T20 World Cup semi-final earlier this year at the Wankhede Stadium before going on to win the tournament. Despite that success, England’s recent results have helped them regain the No. 1 ranking.
India’s immediate focus now shifts to the Asian Games, where the team will attempt to build on its recent winning run and challenge for another gold medal.
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