NEW DELHI: India spinner Varun Chakravarthy etched his name into the record books by achieving a feat no other Indian bowler has managed in T20I history. The mystery spinner has continued to dominate the ICC Men's T20I Bowler Rankings, scaling new heights with a career-high rating.
Varun became the highest-rated Indian bowler in T20I history, reaching 818 points after claiming his third consecutive two-wicket haul in India's ongoing five-match T20I series at home against South Africa.
A career-best rating for a key India spinner as the side primes for their #T20WorldCup defence 👊
— ICC (@ICC) December 17, 2025
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The right-arm spinner has picked up six wickets in the opening three games of the series, with his miserly figures of 2/11 from four overs in the latest match at Dharamsala playing a decisive role in India's emphatic seven-wicket win.
Highest bowler ratings - Men's T20I
| Bowler | Rating |
| Umar Gul (Pakistan) | 865 |
| Samuel Badree (West Indies) | 864 |
| Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) | 858 |
| Sunil Narine (West Indies) | 832 |
| Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) | 828 |
| Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa) | 827 |
| Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) | 822 |
| Varun Chakravarthy (India) | 818 |
| Shadab Khan (Pakistan) | 811 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) | 809 |
With 818 rating points, Chakravarthy now enjoys a commanding 119-point lead over second-placed New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy (699). The 34-year-old has also surged into the top 10 on the list of the highest T20I bowling ratings of all time.
The timing could hardly be better for India, with less than two months to go before they begin the defence of the T20 World Cup title they clinched in Barbados last year. Chakravarthy's red-hot form is expected to be a major boost as India chase back-to-back crowns in the marquee 20-over tournament.
India now have two players inside the top five of the ICC T20I batter rankings, with Tilak Varma climbing two places to fourth after a series of solid knocks against South Africa.
Teammate Abhishek Sharma continues to enjoy a comfortable lead at the top of the rankings, while South Africa batters Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock have made notable gains following recent performances, rising eight spots to 29th and 14 places to 43rd respectively.
