Shafali Verma jumps 19 places to become No.1 batswoman in latest ICC T20I rankings

India Women star Shafali Verma’s meteoric rise through the ranks continues as the opener took the top spot in the ICC T20I rankings for batswomen. The 16-year old is the youngest to top the ICC T20I rankings while she is the second Indian women after Mithali Raj to claim the No.1 spot in the ICC rankings. Shafali Verma jumped 19 places to reach the top, after a stellar showing in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

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Shafali Verma jumps 19 places to become No.1 batswoman in ICC T20I rankings

Shafali Verma's good run of form lands her the top spot

Shafali Verma made her T20I debut back in November 2019, and in the 18 T20Is since, the Harayana batswoman has shown why the India Women team management persisted with her at the top of the order despite her age. The swashbuckling batsman, in a batting style likened with that of former India opener Virender Sehwag, takes the attack to the opposition and has done that to good effect in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Shafali Verma is the third-highest run-getter of the tournament, amassing 161 runs in just four games, leading India Women to the semi-final.

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ICC T20I Rankings: Shafali Verma vs Sophie Ecclestone in the Women's T20 World Cup semi-final

Elsewhere, Sophie Ecclestone took the top spot the in the ICC T20I rankings for bowlers. Ecclestone has been in fine form throughout the Women's T20 World Cup, picking up eight wickets in four matches. She is the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, behind Indian leg spinner Poonam Yadav. Sophie  Ecclestone and Shafali Verma will go head to head on Thursday, where India Women take on England in the first semi-final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

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Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav gain places in ICC T20I Rankings

Elsewhere, Deepti Sharma gained nine places in the ICC T20I rankings for all-rounders and is now seventh while dropped one place down in the bowling rankings to fifth. Poonam Yadav surged back into the top 10 and occupies the eighth spot, one below India Women teammate Radha Yadav. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues both dropped two spots each to sixth and ninth respectively.

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