T20I allrounder Hardik Pandya breaks into the top five in ICC rankings

• Image Credit: Google

• Sep 1, 2022 | Poonam Nath

Hardik Pandya, the Indian all-rounder, defeats Pakistan to win the match, giving him his best ranking ever.

Digital Desk: Hardik Pandya's all-around performance in India's opening game of the 2022 Asia Cup has helped him move eight places on the T20I allrounder rankings to a career-best fifth spot.

Hardik was pivotal in India's five-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. Hardik picked up 3 for 25 in his four overs, helping India dismiss Pakistan for 147 in 19.5 overs. He then led India to victory with two balls to spare, hitting an undefeated 33 off 17 balls.

Hardik has had a productive year with both the bat and the ball. He guided Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their inaugural season, and he's carried his all-around form into international cricket as well.

Hardik has played 14 T20 International matches since the end of the IPL 2022, scoring 314 runs at an average of 34.88 and taking 11 wickets, with his best stats being 4 for 33 against England. He also led India to three T20I victories: two against Ireland and one against the West Indies.

"In bowling, my preparations were quite straightforward," Hardik explained following India's match against Pakistan. "I say the same thing every time. It's simply how I utilize it. I teach them that it's crucial to analyze the scenario and conditions before using your weapon, which I feel is my strength—you know, hard lengths and hitting the length. But I make certain that I utilize it wisely, casting doubt on the batter and asking them to play the bad shot."

"In batting, through the years, I have realized [that] being as calm as I can be, will help me execute all the strategies,' Hardik added. Those 50-50 chances I take while I'm sober help me get over it. When chasing the objective, you always plan for overs in this manner."

There were advantages for Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rehman, Afghanistan's first team in the T20I bowler rankings after qualifying for the Super 4 Asia Cup stage. Rashid's 3 for 22 against Bangladesh propelled him two places ahead of Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa in the T20I bowlers' rankings. He is now ranked third, after Tabrez Shamsi and Josh Hazlewood.

Mujeeb has advanced seven spots to ninth after collecting five wickets in the first two Asia Cup matches.

In terms of test ranking, Ben Stokes' "England's Attempt to Beat South Africa" in Manchester propelled them up all three rating charts. He is presently ranked 18th among batsmen, 38th among bowlers, and second among all-rounders in the Test rankings.