As vice-captain and stand-in skipper in the absence of the injured Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana set the tone for India’s ongoing England tour in commanding fashion.
In the opening T20 International (T20I), she scored her maiden T20I century, leading from the front and guiding India to a dominant win. Supported by strong performances from both batters and bowlers, team India’s victory marked England’s heaviest defeat by run margin in T20Is. With this win, India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
The Indian opener was rewarded for her match-winning knock of 112 off just 62 balls against England in the series opener in Nottingham by climbing to No. 3 in the ICC T20I rankings, surpassing Australia’s Tahlia McGrath.
Already the No. 1 batter in ODIs, she now holds the third spot in T20Is with a career-best rating of 771 points. She is just 3 points behind No. 2 ranked Hayley Matthews and 23 points adrift of Beth Mooney, the top-ranked batter in T20Is. Mandhana remains the only Indian batter in the top 10 of the T20I rankings, with team captain Harmanpreet Kaur being the next highest-ranked Indian at No. 12.
Her opening partner, Shafali Verma, who was making a comeback, appeared slightly out of rhythm and scored 20 off 22 balls in the same match against England. However, despite the modest knock, she moved up one spot to 13th in the T20I rankings. Meanwhile, teammate Harleen Deol re-entered the batter rankings, joining at joint 86th position after a brisk 23-ball 43-run innings.
England pacer Lauren Bell was the standout performer in the bowling attack. She claimed 3 wickets for just 27 runs in her 4 overs, providing some resistance while the rest of the bowling unit struggled and conceded heavily. This impressive performance saw her rise two spots to a career-best fourth position in the T20I bowling rankings, going past Sophie Ecclestone and Renuka Thakur.
Pakistan’s left-arm spinner, Sadia Iqbal, still maintains her No. 1 position with 746 points. However, Deepti Sharma, Lauren Bell, and Sophie Ecclestone, currently ranked No. 3, 4, and 5, respectively, in the T20I bowling rankings, are all within striking distance of the top spot, needing just one or two strong performances to potentially climb to the No. 1 spot.
Although the all-rounders’ rankings remain largely unchanged, Hayley Matthews continues to hold the No. 1 spot with a comfortable lead. However, the recently concluded West Indies–South Africa series saw a shake-up, with Proteas all-rounder Nadine de Klerk breaking into the top 10. She jumped to 10th position, replacing England’s premier spinner, Sophie Ecclestone.
The final match of the T20I series between the West Indies and South Africa also saw several players make gains in the latest rankings. Proteas youngster Miane Smit made a significant leap, climbing from well outside the top 100 to 76th in the T20I batters’ rankings, thanks to her brisk half-century in that match.
