India reclaim top T20I ranking after Zimbabwe series success

By Sanjay Menon — 26 July 2026 — 3 min read

India secure series lead and top ranking

India have returned to the number one position in the ICC Men’s T20I Team rankings. This follows their unassailable 2-0 lead in the series against Zimbabwe in Harare. The team, current ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions, took the top spot back from England.

In the second T20I against Zimbabwe, India‘s batters played a key role. This performance came after a strong victory in the first T20I, which featured a record knock by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and strong bowling.

After losing two early wickets, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer formed a 66-run partnership. Tilak Varma then contributed a notable knock, scoring 60 runs from 29 balls. Kishan was the highest scorer of the game with 81 runs from 44 balls.

Speaking after the match, Kishan mentioned the team’s strategy. He stated that as a batter at number three, the job is to play naturally and understand the wicket conditions. He also noted the partnership with Shreyas Iyer was crucial for building the innings and executing their plans.

Zimbabwe, chasing a target of 220, lost five wickets within the first nine overs. They were eventually bowled out for 129, giving India an unassailable lead in the T20I series.

Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking performance

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued to set new records, becoming the first player in men’s international cricket to achieve multiple scores of 50 or more before turning 16. The left-handed opener achieved this feat during the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on Sunday.

He scored 81 runs from 48 balls, helping India reach 192/5 after they chose to bat first. Previously, only Nepal‘s Kushal Malla had recorded a 50-plus score in men’s internationals before turning 16. Sooryavanshi now has two such scores to his name.

On a pitch that favored bowlers, Sooryavanshi displayed a different aspect of his batting. He started cautiously, scoring 11 runs from his first 10 balls and 26 from his first 20 deliveries. He then reached his second T20I fifty in 31 balls.

His innings included characteristic strokeplay, such as driving Brad Evans for four off a yorker and hitting a 102-meter six off off-spinner Sikandar Raza. He also reverse-swept Wesley Madhevere for a boundary.

While Sooryavanshi settled, opening partner Abhishek Sharma‘s challenging run continued. Abhishek edged Blessing Muzarabani for two runs, extending a sequence of low scores. His last six innings have produced 10, 16, 3, 1, 8, and 2, dating back to a match against England last month.

Sooryavanshi then added 75 runs for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan, who scored 29. He later shared a 50-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer, who made 27 runs.

Despite looking set for a century, Sooryavanshi was dismissed by Wesley Madhevere, with Brad Evans completing the catch at long-off. India‘s scoring rate slowed after the departures of Sooryavanshi and Shreyas. The middle order contributed 47 runs in the final five overs, with Rinku Singh‘s 25 runs from 14 balls helping India approach the 200-run mark. India concluded their innings on 192/5.

The two teams are scheduled to play again on July 26, Sunday.

Source: icc-cricket.com