KL Rahul moves up to No. 3 in ICC T20I batting rankings, Virat Kohli at No. 8

Indian batsman KL Rahul, who was the vice-captain during India’s limited-overs contests in Australia, has moved up to No. 3 in the ICC T20I batting rankings following the conclusion of the three T20Is against the Aussies.

KL Rahul scored 81 runs in the three matches to move up one spot. He now has 816 points to his name. KL Rahul swapped places with Australian limited-overs captain Aaron Finch, who has slipped one position down to No. 4 with 808 points.

Skipper Virat Kohli is the only other player from India in the top 10 of the ICC T20I batting rankings. Kohli also climbed one spot up to No. 8 and has 697 points to his name.

The India captain had a very good T20I series, hitting 134 runs at an average of 44.66 and a strike rate of 142.55. His magnificent knock of 85 in the third T20I was in vain as India went down by 12 runs at Sydney.

KL Rahul: Going from strength to strength in T20Is

While KL Rahul had a disappointing T20I series by his standards, he has been among India’s most consistent performers in the format over the last couple of seasons, which explains his rise to No. 3 in the ICC T20I rankings.

KL Rahul finished 2020 with 404 runs in 11 T20I matches at an average of 44.88. He was one of the chief architects of India’s 5-0 whitewash of New Zealand in New Zealand at the start of the year. KL Rahul smashed 224 runs in those five games at an average of 56.

Tough outing but remarkable fighting spirit shown by the boys 💪. On to the tests now 🇮🇳. pic.twitter.com/d9v6EACpc0

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 8, 2020

In the home series against Sri Lanka prior to that, he scored 99 runs in three T20Is at an average of 49.50.

In his overall T20I career, KL Rahul has an excellent record as well. In 45 matches, he has 1542 runs to his name at an average of 44.05 and a brilliant strike of 144.92. This includes two T20I centuries.

While it did not have any bearing on his ICC T20I ranking, it is also pertinent to note that he was the leading run-scorer in IPL 2020 with 670 runs in 14 matches.