New Delhi: Indian opening batter Shafali Verma advanced two positions to sixth in the ICC Women’s T20I Batting Rankings following her half-century against South Africa in the current five-game T20I series. Verma scored 57 runs from 38 deliveries in the second match in Durban last Sunday, though India fell to the home team by eight wickets, trailing 0-2 in the series. India also lost the first game at the same location by six wickets, where Verma added 34 runs. India’s vice-captain and Verma’s opening teammate, Smriti Mandhana, dropped one rank to fourth after modest performances in the initial two encounters, with scores of 13 and 12. She was passed at third by West Indies’ Hayley Matthews. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur rose two spots to 11th, nearing the top 10, after an unbeaten 47 in the opening match. Jemimah Rodrigues, a standout from the Women’s World Cup, declined four places to 14th among batters due to recent low scores. The series is vital preparation for both sides before the T20 World Cup set for June in England and Wales. South African captain Laura Wolvaardt held her fifth spot in the T20I batting list, behind Australia’s Georgia Voll, after a strong half-century in the second game against India. Her compatriots Annerie Dercksen surged 18 ranks to 33rd, and Sune Luus advanced eight positions to 35th, following impressive showings in Durban. On the bowling side, India’s key players Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, and Arundhati Reddy all declined in the rankings. Sharma fell two spots to fifth, Singh dropped four to ninth, and Reddy slipped three to 12th, exiting the top 10.
