India's Abhishek Sharma reclaimed the top position in the ICC T20I batting rankings on Wednesday, 28 October, powered by a blistering century against New Zealand, while South Africa's Marco Jansen simultaneously ascended to the No. 1 spot in both Test bowling and Test all-rounder rankings following a match-winning display against Australia. The dual shake-up was confirmed in the latest ICC Men's Player Rankings update released from Dubai.

Jansen's Historic Double — Test Bowler and All-Rounder No. 1

Marco Jansen achieved the top ranking in both the Test bowling and Test all-rounder categories for the first time in his career after an outstanding performance in South Africa's victory over Australia in the second Test in Gqeberha. The 26-year-old left-arm pacer contributed 85 runs with the bat and claimed a five-wicket haul in Australia's first innings, a performance that proved pivotal to the result.

In the rankings, Jansen climbed five spots to overtake Australia's Mitchell Starc at the summit of the Test bowling charts, moved up 13 places to 56th in Test batting, and rose one place to displace India's Ravindra Jadeja as the leading Test all-rounder. Notably, Jadeja had held the all-rounder top spot for more than four years — making Jansen's rise particularly significant. The achievement comes on the back of former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn recently describing Jansen as 'the best cricketer in the world.'

Abhishek Sharma Returns to T20I Summit

Abhishek Sharma's return to the top of the ICC T20I batting rankings was fuelled by a scintillating innings in the third T20I against New Zealand in Wellington on Tuesday. The left-hander reached his century off just 35 balls and finished with a stunning 113 off 38 deliveries, anchoring India's six-wicket victory that sealed the series.

That knock was enough to displace teammate Ishan Kishan, who had claimed the No. 1 position from Abhishek in July 2025 after a strong run in Ireland. Abhishek had first reached the T20I summit in July 2025, overtaking Australia's Travis Head. This is his second stint at the top.

South Africa's Bavuma Makes Strides in Test Batting

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma was another major beneficiary of the latest update, moving up four places to second in the Test batting rankings after being named Player of the Match against Australia in the second Test. Bavuma's 179 in the first innings helped South Africa level the three-match series 1-1. England captain Harry Brook remains the only batter ranked ahead of Bavuma.

Australia pacer Scott Boland climbed three places to sixth in the Test bowling rankings, while South Africa spinner Simon Harmer gained 15 spots to eighth in the Test all-rounder rankings.

Other T20I and ODI Movers

In the T20I batting rankings, India's Sanju Samson moved up six places to 20th, and New Zealand's Finn Allen climbed three spots to 25th. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner rose seven places to seventh in T20I bowling, while India's Arshdeep Singh gained six spots to 15th.

In the ODI rankings, England's Ben Duckett and Harry Brook made gains in batting. Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi climbed two places to sixth in ODI bowling, Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai rose 13 spots to seventh, and Namibia spinner Bernard Scholtz gained nine places to eighth. Afghanistan veteran Mohammad Nabi moved up five places to third in the ODI all-rounder rankings.

With the South Africa vs Australia series locked at 1-1 and India's T20I campaign in New Zealand gathering momentum, further ranking shifts are likely when the next update arrives.