Hardik Pandya's Star Shines Bright as He Becomes No. 1 T20I All-rounder

In excellent news for Indian cricket, Hardik Pandya has made history as the first Indian player to top the  T20I All-rounder rankings. The dynamic all-rounder's meteoric rise to the top has been fueled by his barnstorming performances during India's victorious  2024 World T20 League campaign in the West Indies and the USA.

Throughout the tournament, Pandya had an excellent show in the all-round department. He was right up there with the bat, amassing 144 runs at a terrific average of 48 and a sizzling strike rate of 151. His most impactful innings came when he smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 27 deliveries to take India home, sinking Bangladesh.

But it was with the ball that Pandya truly left his mark. The seam-bowling all-rounder picked up 11 wickets at an astonishing average of 17.36, proving his capability to impact the game in every facet. His match-winning haul of 3/20 in the final against South Africa was yet another example of his nerves of steel and capability to come good in crunch situations.

Pandya starts at the top but takes up the No. 1 rank, joined by Sri Lankan skipper Wanindu Hasaranga. This is evidence of the work he constantly put in, and his remarkable turnaround to be a match-winner for genuine sportsmen in the Indian team.

The other star T20 Bowler at the World T20 League was Bumrah, who gained a dozen positions in the T20I Bowler rankings to sit at No. 12. With a great economy of just 4.17 and reliability in delivering at crucial moments, he was instrumental in helping India win the tournament. 

In the bowling rankings Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh saw a rise. The average of Yadav during his 10 wickets was 13.9, while the young Arshdeep,  the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 scalps, reached his career-best ranking of No. 13.

Also in the top table were South Africa's Anrich Nortje, a career-best No. 2 among bowlers, and the quartet of Marcus Stoinis, Sikandar Raza, Shakib al Hasan, and Liam Livingstone, who all moved up a position each to occupy the third, fourth, fifth, and eighth positions, respectively, of the all rounders' running.

With this being a historical feat, the cricketing world celebrates, and an Indian juggernaut prepares to continue its invincibility in the shortest format. This will not be taken easily from the Men in Blue now and in the coming years with the kind of talent they have and, of course, the infusion of confidence they have had from this win.