Tilak Varma rises to No. 2 in ICC T20I Rankings; Varun Chakravarthy breaks into top 5
Dubai, Jan 29 (PTI): Talented India batter Tilak Varma climbed one spot to second, while mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy made a massive leap of 25 places to break into the top five in the latest ICC men's T20I rankings released on Wednesday.
Varma now sits just behind Travis Head in the batters' list, with the Australian maintaining a 23-point lead at the top.
The young Indian left-hander has been in sublime form, posting scores of 19 not out, 72 not out, and 18 in India's ongoing T20I series against England.
With two matches remaining in the series, Varma has a chance to overtake Head and become the youngest-ever player to top the rankings -- a record currently held by Babar Azam, who reached No. 1 at the age of 23 years and 105 days.
Varma's current rating of 832 points is the fourth-highest ever achieved by an Indian batter in T20I history, behind only Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul.
India's Abhishek Sharma also made significant strides, jumping 59 places to 40th, while England's Liam Livingstone (up five spots to 32nd) and Ben Duckett (up 28 places to 68th) were the biggest gainers from the visiting team.
Chakravarthy’s rise
Chakravarthy's magical 5/24 in India's 26-run loss in the third T20I propelled him to top five in the T20I bowling rankings.
Meanwhile, fellow spinner Axar Patel moved up five places to 11th, just outside the top 10.
England’s Adil Rashid has reclaimed the No. 1 spot among T20I bowlers.
Rashid first claimed the top position at the end of 2023 and held it for much of last year until West Indies’ Akeal Hosein briefly surpassed him before Christmas.
Bumrah continues to dominate Test rankings
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah remains the top-ranked Test bowler following his sensational performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
His dominance across formats also earned him the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2024.
Among Test all-rounders, West Indies’ Jomel Warrican has climbed to 24th, while Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan moved up two places to 15th in the Test batters’ rankings, which continue to be led by England’s Joe Root.
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CM Siddaramaiah appeals for peace after Bagalkote clashes, BJP blames Cong
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday appealed for peace and harmony in the wake of communal clashes in Bagalkote triggered by alleged stone pelting during a Shivaji Jayanti procession.
Tension prevailed in the district headquarter town of Bagalkote town on Friday following the face-off between two communities, prompting the district administration to clamp prohibitory orders.
Shops remained shut across Bagalkote amid the unrest.
In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said, "The stone-pelting incident in Bagalkot is a threat to the peace and harmony of the society. I and our government strongly condemn this."
ALSO READ: Bagalkote: Man arrested for stone-pelting during Shivaji Jayanti procession
The CM said he had spoken to senior police officers and ordered them to conduct an impartial investigation.
Siddaramaiah has also instructed police to initiate legal action against the miscreants.
Some accused have already been arrested and are being interrogated in connection with the case, and those found guilty will be punished, he added.
Siddaramaiah said, “Providing a fear-free and peaceful life to the people of the country is our first priority. We will not tolerate any person or force that disturbs the peace and tranquility of the people.”
Urging citizens to stay calm and not to fall prey to any provocations, Siddaramaiah assured that the police department will discharge its duty impartially.
The opposition BJP blamed the ruling Congress for the incident, alleging that its "appeasement politics" has resulted in the communal clashes.
“The stone-pelting and shoe-pelting incident on the procession of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bagalkot is a highly condemnable and despicable act. In this mismanagement, the law and order situation has completely collapsed in the Tughlaq Congress government, and the miscreants who disturb the peace have found refuge,” BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said in a post on ‘X’.
“If stone-pelting is taking place in the presence of the police, where is the safety of the common people in the state?” he asked.
Vijayendra alleged that such continuous attacks targeting Hindu festivals and processions look like a systematic conspiracy in the Congress rule in the state.
“Such hooliganism cannot take place without the courage of the state government to stand by them. At least now, the government of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should leave its politics of appeasement and immediately arrest those who have harmed the honour of Shivaji Maharaj, who is the identity of the nation,” the MLA said.
He also cautioned the Chief Minister not to “test the patience of the Hindu society”.
“There is no question of remaining silent when it comes to the identity of our beloved men and our country!” Vijayendra said.
