Tahlia McGrath has equalled legendary Mithali Raj's record of becoming fastest to no.1 in ICC T20I batter rankings. It took her only 16 games to reach the top. Mithali had reached the summit in the same number of games in 2011.
The 27-year-old Aussie batter achieved the top spot with an unbeaten 51-ball 70 to help Australia post 187/1. She shared a record-breaking 158-run partnership for the second wicket with Beth Mooney. The batter she dethroned is her teammate Mooney who scored unbeaten 54-ball 82 in the same game. Tahlia jumped three spots and now has 827 rating points, 54 more than Mooney.
Tahlia made her T20I debut in October 2021. Since then, she has scored 485 runs at a stupendous average of 121.25 and a strike rate of 149.69. Her brand of cricket has helped her reach the top in such a short time. She became only the fourth Aussie batter to achieve the no.1 spot. Karen Rolton, Leg Lanning and Mooney are the other three who have occupied the top spot before in the T20I format.
Indian opener Smriti Mandhana slipped to third place with 741 rating points as a result of Tahlia’s leap. Mandhana scored a match-winning 79 in India's historic run chase in Mumbai on December 11.
There are two more Indian batters in top 10. Opener Shafali Verma gained a place to rise to sixth position after her cameo in the run chase against the Aussies. On the other hand, Jemimah Rodrigues still occupies the ninth spot despite a single-digit score in the same encounter.
Richa Ghosh who livened up the run chase with her unbeaten cameo of 13-ball 26 followed by a six in super over has made a massive jump. The teenage wicketkeeper-batter has climbed 20 spots and is now ranked 44th.
In the bowlers' rankings, England's left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone occupies the top spot with 769 rating points. Deepti Sharma is India's highest-ranked bowler at third position followed by pacer Renuka Singh. Sneh Rana just slipped out of the top 10, just two points less than South Africa's Nonkululeko Mlaba.
In the all-rounders’ rankings Australia's Ellyse Perry is on the top with 374 points, just one more than second-placed Hayley Matthews. Deepti Sharma is ranked sixth whereas former Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami is placed ninth.
