India opener Shafali Verma has reached fourth place in the latest ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings after a string of outstanding performances during the Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games.
The explosive opener moved up two places to No. 4 with 756 rating points, overtaking team-mate Smriti Mandhana and West Indies captain Hayley Matthews. Australia’s Beth Mooney continues to lead the rankings ahead of Georgia Voll and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt.
Shafali’s Golden Run Continues
Shafali entered the rankings update after producing another exceptional run with the bat.
She scored 64 and 68 in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final and final before carrying that form into the Asian Games.
Her unbeaten 40 guided India past Japan in the quarter-final before she produced a sensational maiden international white-ball century, smashing an unbeaten 100 from 49 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final. The innings also made her the first woman to score a century in Asian Games cricket.
She followed that performance with another aggressive knock of 48 in the final against Sri Lanka, helping India secure a second consecutive Asian Games gold medal.
Shawaal Zulfiqar and Ayesha Zafar Make Big Gains
Pakistan opener Shawaal Zulfiqar also enjoyed a significant rise in the latest rankings.
Her 54 in the Asian Games semi-final against Sri Lanka lifted her 16 places to 29th, giving her a career-best rating of 558 points.
Team-mate Ayesha Zafar jumped 31 places to 40th after scoring 71 in the same match and also climbed nine spots to 30th in the ICC Women’s T20I all-rounder rankings.
India’s Spin Pair Continue to Lead Bowling Rankings
India’s spin attack continues to dominate the ICC Women’s T20I bowling rankings.
N Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma retained the top two positions after impressive performances throughout the Asia Cup and Asian Games, while Charani had recently reached a career-best 804 rating points.
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana also climbed five places to 24th among T20I bowlers.
Shafali Sets New Calendar-Year Record
The Asian Games final also saw Shafali rewrite another record.
Her 48 against Sri Lanka took her to 863 runs in Women’s T20Is during 2026, surpassing Laura Wolvaardt’s tally of 824 to become the highest run-scorer in a single calendar year in the format.
Most Runs in a Calendar Year in Women’s T20Is
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shafali Verma (2026) | 24 | 863 | 39.22 | 162.83 |
| Laura Wolvaardt (2026) | 24 | 824 | 43.36 | 138.72 |
| Natasha Miles (2026) | 27 | 800 | 36.36 | 95.46 |
| Esha Oza (2025) | 22 | 779 | 41.00 | 146.42 |
| Yasmin Daswani (2026) | 22 | 779 | 55.64 | 105.12 |
Smriti Mandhana also continued her prolific year, moving to 765 T20I runs from 21 innings in 2026 after her 79 in the final against Sri Lanka.
Shafali Still Holds India’s Six-Hitting Record
Although Mandhana struck seven sixes in the Asian Games final, Shafali continues to own India’s record for the most sixes in a Women’s T20I innings.
Most Sixes in a Women’s T20I Innings for India
- 9 – Shafali Verma vs Bangladesh, Nisshin, 2026
- 8 – Harmanpreet Kaur vs New Zealand, 2018
- 7 – Smriti Mandhana vs Hong Kong, Dubai, 2026
- 7 – Smriti Mandhana vs Sri Lanka, Nisshin, 2026
Shafali’s Growing Legacy
Before the Asian Games final, Shafali had already established herself as one of India’s most destructive batters in Women’s T20Is.
She had accumulated 3,277 runs in 117 innings, including 21 half-centuries and one century, while maintaining a strike rate of 140.70.
Her recent performances have further strengthened her reputation as one of the world’s premier T20 batters and played a crucial role in India’s successful run across both the Women’s Asia Cup and the Asian Games.
