India spinner Varun Chakravarthy has etched his name into the history books by becoming the highest-rated Indian bowler in ICC Men’s T20I rankings. In the latest update released on Wednesday, December 17, Chakravarthy retained the No.1 spot with a career-best rating of 818 points, surpassing Jasprit Bumrah’s long-standing Indian record.

Bumrah previously held the benchmark with a rating of 783, achieved in February 2017 after his sensational 3/14 against England. Varun has now comfortably gone past that mark, underlining his rise as one of the most dominant bowlers in modern T20 cricket.

Highest Bowler Ratings in Men’s T20Is

Chakravarthy first climbed to the top spot during the Asia Cup 2025 and has shown remarkable consistency since then. In the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, he has taken six wickets in three matches, including an excellent spell of 2/11 in four overs at Dharamsala, helping India take a 2-1 series lead.

The mystery spinner currently enjoys a massive 119-point lead over second-placed Jacob Duffy of New Zealand. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh has also made gains, moving up four places to 16th in the bowling rankings.

India continue to dominate the batting charts as well. Abhishek Sharma remains the No.1 T20I batter with 909 points, while Tilak Varma has climbed to fourth after a consistent series. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has slipped to tenth and will be eager to rediscover form in the fourth T20I at Lucknow.

Varun’s journey makes his achievement even more special. Dropped after a disappointing 2021 T20 World Cup, he reinvented himself through relentless work. With 51 wickets in 32 T20Is and an economy of 6.75, Chakravarthy now stands as India’s biggest weapon heading into the T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil.