Hardik Pandya rises in ICC all-rounder rankings after Player of the Series performance in T20Is against New Zealand

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya's rise in cricket has been meteoric in last few years. Since his return to cricket after sustaining a horrible back injury during the Asia Cup 2018, Pandya has impressed everyone with his performances and leadership qualities. He led IPL franchise Gujarat Titans to title victory in their debut season in 2022.

In the latest ICC men's all-rounder rankings, Pandya has climbed to the No. 2 spot in T20Is. With a total of 250 points to his name, he is just two points behind top-ranked Bangladesh's Shakib-Al-Hasan. Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga and Namibia's J.J. Smit occupy the immediate next three spots in the rankings.

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Pandya had delivered a stellar performance in the recently concluded T20I series against New Zealand and was adjudged the Player of the Series as well. The 29-year-old took the joint-highest number of wickets in the series, claiming five wickets in three matches and also scored 66 runs at an average of 33.00.He also led India to series wins at home against both Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Impressed by his captaincy skills, some experts are backing him as the permanent skipper for Team India in the shortest format.

In the rankings for Test all-rounders, India's Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin continue to occupy the top two positions. With 369 points, Jadeja is at the top while with 343 points, Ashwin is at the second spot. However, there is no Indian in the top five in the rankings for all-rounders for ODIs.

With 906 points, India's Suryakumar Yadav continues to occupy the top position in the rankings for batters in T20Is while Mohammed Siraj is the No.1 bowler in ODIs with 729 points to his credit.