India’s Varun Chakravarthy has reached a remarkable career high by becoming the No. 1 ranked bowler in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings. The Chennai-born mystery spinner is only the third Indian bowler in history to achieve this milestone after Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi, underlining his rise as one of the format’s elite performers.
Chakravarthy’s journey to the top has been built on persistence and consistency. At 34, he is not a newcomer by any means, but over the past 12 months he has cemented his role as a reliable match-winning option in India’s T20I setup. His unique ability to deceive batters with variations and tight bowling under pressure has made him indispensable. After starting the year with a second career five-wicket haul against England, Chakravarthy has maintained superb form, which has now translated to global recognition through the ICC rankings.
Varun’s Spin Magic
In the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, the spinner has already made crucial contributions. He starred in India’s tournament opener against the UAE with miserly figures of 1/4, helping his side control the hosts with flawless accuracy. Four days later, he followed it up with equally effective numbers of 1/24 from four overs in India’s emphatic victory over Pakistan. Though the wickets tally may look modest, his economy rate and his impact in controlling the middle overs have been key talking points, earning him valuable ranking points that helped surge him three places up to No. 1.
Varun overtook New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, who slipped to second despite being in excellent form. West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein held on to third place, while Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa climbed to fourth overall. Chakravarthy’s rise highlights India’s depth in spin-bowling talent and brings back memories of previous spin leaders who dominated global charts for India.
Other Changes In Rankings
The week also saw other important changes in the ICC T20I bowling rankings. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara made a big leap, moving six places into the top 10 to finish sixth. From Pakistan, left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem continued his impressive ascent by jumping four places to 11th. Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan, a long-time star in T20s, dropped one place to 10th. England’s Jofra Archer, with three wickets against South Africa, gained and reached 13th. Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed surged eleven places up to 16th, while India’s Kuldeep Yadav enjoyed a bounce of 16 positions to finish the week ranked 23rd.
With India currently leading Group A of the Asia Cup and Sri Lanka topping Group B, Chakravarthy’s climb to the top ranking is a morale boost for the Indian camp. His success further reflects the team’s dominance in the tournament and strengthens India’s spin arsenal as they build up toward crunch knockout stages
