Top 5 T20I batsmen in the current era

T20 cricket is potentially the most difficult format to maintain consistency in. With batsmen having no guarantees of whether they face 6 balls or 60, they are forced to adapt very quickly. Unlike ODIs, there is rarely any time for a batsman to "play himself in" either. Add to this unpredictability, the expectation of scoring quickly regardless of the conditions, and it is a challenging format to retain one's place in the side in.

Unlike other formats therefore, T20 is heavily tipped towards top-order batsmen. While T20 is most remembered for bursts of power-hitting, counterattacking knocks and exciting finishes, it is the "boring" aspects - placement, shot selection and strike rotation - which allow a player to establish himself as an asset in the format. Brilliance in the field, along with part-time bowling skills, also allow a batsman to guarantee selection.

Here is a list of the top 5 batsmen in world cricket at the moment, based on recent form as well as their record over the years. While players like Rassie van der Dussen and Aaron Finch are in the top 5 in the ICC Rankings due to recent performances, this list includes players who missed out recently but have been dominant otherwise.

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#5 Glenn Maxwell (AUS)

Glenn Maxwell has remained a threat in Australia's middle order with the bat.

Despite his well-documented woes in the Indian Premier League, including in the 2020 season, Glenn Maxwell has maintained a solid international record since 2016 where he first entered the top 3 in the ICC T20I rankings. Not only is he an electric fielder, Maxwell has also been shunted lower in the Australian batting lineup as an all-rounder. He currently is sixth on ICC's T20I Batting Rankings.

Arguably Maxwell's finest moment in the format was a blistering century opening the innings against Sri Lanka in 2016 as he racked up 145. Since then, he has scored two further international centuries to go with eight half-centuries in the format. A strike rate just shy of 158 over 67 T20Is is a commendable achievement, and the Melbourne Stars skipper's reverse sweeps, scoops and switch hits provide a nightmarish challenge to captains and bowlers alike.

#4 Rohit Sharma (IND)

Rohit Sharma has been the most successful IPL captain in its brief history.

Nicknamed the "Hitman" by India and Mumbai Indians fans, Rohit Sharma's aesthetic style of batting has become a fixture at the top of the order for India. Rewarded with vice-captaincy in all three formats recently - temporarily in Test matches - Rohit was also the winning captain in India's successful 2018 Asia Cup campaign.

Although he missed the limited-overs leg of the Australia tour at the close of 2020, he played a key role in India's 5-0 sweep of New Zealand earlier in the year. An unsurpassed haul of four T20I centuries, including a breakneck 35-ball ton against Sri Lanka, has cemented his place as a batting great. His excellent record as Mumbai Indians skipper, along with his solid performance whenever he has shouldered India's limited overs captaincy in Virat Kohli's absence, have even led to growing murmurs regarding him as a long-term captaincy option.

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#3 KL Rahul (IND)

KL Rahul has cemented his place in India's limited overs setup in recent years.

A rather strange career progression has seen KL Rahul start out as a Test batsman and a back-up limited-overs opener, to being on the fringes of the longest format and an indispensable asset in T20Is and ODIs. Rahul also handles wicketkeeping duties for India, thus depriving the likes of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson of an assured spot. He has scored two centuries in the format and is currently rated third by the ICC T20I Batting Rankings.

Always looked upon as a batsman with an assured technique and a strong domestic record, Rahul took the shorter formats by storm with his move to Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the 2018 IPL season. Starting off with a 14-ball 50, Rahul went on to become KXIP's most dependable batsman, with a wide array of attractive shots and impeccable timing on display. In an Indian T20 team that has often been filled with accumulators, Rahul's strike rate of nearly 145 in the shortest format allows players like Virat Kohli to play an anchor role and ensures India dominates the powerplay overs.

#2 Babar Azam (PAK)

Babar Azam has become Pakistan's all-format lynchpin.

As someone who looked destined to captain Pakistan from the time he broke into the national setup, Babar Azam has held good on the early promise. A lynchpin of the batting order in all three formats for his team, Babar has remained dominant despite a Pakistan team and management that remains in flux.

An average of nearly 51 in the shortest format puts Babar in an elite league of cricketers. Although he doesn't quite have a hundred yet - his highest score is 97* - 16 half-centuries at a strike-rate of 130 make for very impressive reading. Most recently, his unbeaten half-century allowed the Karachi Kings to lift the Pakistan Super League 2020 trophy.

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#1 Dawid Malan (ENG)

Dawid Malan has forced his way to the top of the ICC T20I rankings in quick time.

The English batting order is arguably the hardest one to break into at the moment, with intense competition for the opener's spots as well as the rest of the top six. Despite the odds, Dawid Malan has more than thrown his hat in the ring, with a flurry of impressive performances. Announcing his arrival with a thrilling 78 off 44 balls against South Africa on debut, Malan's consistent big-hitting and shot selection has helped him climb to the top of the ICC T20I Batting Rankings.

An unbeaten century and an agonizing 99* are the highlights from a short yet commanding T20I career thus far. Already a big commodity in the Big Bash League, Malan is likely to be one of the starters in England's 2021 T20 World Cup side. An average over 53 and a strike-rate just short of 150 are surreal numbers in the shortest format, and while it is still early days, Malan might stay on top for some time.

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Why does Virat Kohli miss out?

Virat Kohli misses out from this list

Despite being an Indian Premier League (IPL) mainstay and an undisputed ODI great, Virat Kohli's batting in the T20 format raises conflicting opinions regarding the role of a T20I batsman. While the numbers - fifty-plus average, 130-plus strike rate - are undoubtedly impressive, Kohli's style of play revolves around occupying the crease, finding the gaps and rotating strike.

Although this technique ensures Kohli is harder to dismiss, modern T20 batting prioritizes batsmen who can take the game away from the opposition by attacking in bursts and forcing them to change their plans. Kohli's recent form in the IPL as well as the T20I leg of the Australia tour couldn't quite put pressure on the opposition. Thus, while he has been instrumental to India in T20I World Cups in the past, recent form and the overall improvement in the T20 game's standard edge him out of the top five.