Deepti Sharma rises to World No. 2 in ICC Women's T20I bowler rankings, within touching distance of top spot

India Women all-rounder Deepti Sharma is ranked second in the latest ICC T20I bowler rankings for Women. She has 737 points, only behind reigning World No.1 Sophie Ecclestone (763).

The 25-year-old picked up eight wickets in three matches in the ongoing tri-series against South Africa Women and West Indies Women. Her exceptional bowling performances helped the Women in Blue set up the final against SA-W, which will be played in East London on Thursday, February 2.

Deepti also did well in the T20I series against Australia last month, scalping six wickets in five matches. If she continues her red-hot form, Deepti can topple Ecclestone to become the new World No.1 ICC T20I bowler. It’s worth mentioning that she has also retained her second spot in the latest ICC T20I rankings for all-rounders.

Meanwhile, Rajeshwari Gaikwad rose four places to 14th on the list for T20I bowlers. So far, she has scalped three wickets in as many games in the ongoing tri-series.

---

Two Indians in top 10 of ICC T20I batting rankings

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma retained the third and eighth ranks in the latest ICC T20I batting rankings.

Mandhana recently scored an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls, including a maximum and 10 boundaries, against WI-W. Shafali, on the other hand, amassed 140 runs in the five-match T20I series against Australia last month. The duo will be key to India’s chances of winning the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa next month.

Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues, who scored an unbeaten 42 off 39 balls in her last outing against WI-W, jumped a spot to 13th place as England's Sophia Dunkley slipped to 14th place.

After securing three back-to-back wins in the ongoing tri-series, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will aim to win the final. A victory will raise the Women in Blue’s spirits ahead of the T20WC. India Women will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan Women on February 12.