Virat Kohli bid farewell to T20 International cricket in spectacular fashion, cementing his legacy as a World Champion with a crucial knock in the T20 World Cup final. Despite a lacklustre tournament, the 35-year-old cricket icon rose to the occasion, adding another glorious chapter to his T20I journey. Kohli’s stellar performance saw him leap seven places to 40th in the ICC T20 batting rankings, a significant climb from being outside the top 50 just a month prior.
Cricket fans were taken aback when Kohli also ascended the ICC T20 all-rounder’s rankings, finishing ahead of Ravindra Jadeja, who too announced his retirement from the shortest format post-final. In the latest ICC rankings, Kohli secured the 79th spot with 49 points, while Jadeja trailed at 86th with 45 points. This was particularly surprising given that Kohli has largely been a specialist batter, bowling a mere 2.4 overs in the last decade and claiming just one wicket in his illustrious 125-match T20I career.
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In stark contrast, Jadeja, an all-rounder throughout his career, amassed 54 wickets in 74 T20Is.
So, How Did This Happen?
The T20I rankings are more volatile compared to Test and ODI standings, partly due to the greater involvement of players from associate nations. Kohli, with four wickets in 13 T20I innings at an average of 51.00 and an economy rate of 8.05, pales in comparison to Jadeja’s 54 wickets in 71 innings at an average of nearly 30. However, Kohli’s extraordinary batting stats—over 4000 runs at an average of 48.69—bolster his all-rounder ranking, whereas Jadeja has managed just over 500 runs in 41 innings. The T20 rankings allow players to retain their positions if they do not bowl for a while, which helped Kohli maintain his spot in the top 100 ICC T20 all-rounder rankings.
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Meanwhile, Jadeja’s recent struggles with both bat and ball saw his rankings plummet. He fell out of the top 100 ICC T20 bowlers after managing just one wicket in the 2024 T20 World Cup, marking a challenging end to his T20I career.
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