Suryakumar Yadav extends his lead as ICC's No.1-ranked T20I batter with a stellar 910 rating; close to breaking all-time record 

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav attained a new feather in his cap after hitting the 910-rating mark in the ICC rankings for T20I batters. The Mumbai-born player reached the landmark after scoring 47 off 34 deliveries in the first T20I against New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday, January 27.

Despite putting in a player-of-the-match display on a sluggish and highly testing surface, where Suryakumar scored precious 26 runs off 31 deliveries, he lost two points and now holds 908 points, which is still well above second-placed Mohammad Rizwan, who has 838 points.

Suryakumar has a serious shot at England batter Dawid Malan's all-time rating record of 915 points, which he held during the tour of South Africa in 2020. The 32-year-old could make serious strides towards the record with an impactful outing against New Zealand during the series finale in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1.

Team India are desperate to hold onto their illustrious home bilateral series record, while New Zealand players, who have also climbed upwards in the rankings, will hope to spoil the party.

Finn Allen, who endured a forgettable ODI series, has looked far more comfortable in the shortest format, jumping eight places to 19th in the rankings. Daryl Mitchell also jumped up nine spots to 29th on the back of his impressive half-century, which included 27 runs in the final over off Arshdeep Singh in the first T20I.

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Suryakumar Yadav was recently named ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022

Suryakumar Yadav's journey to the top of the rankings began in 2022, which ended up being a memorable year. For his exploits, he was named in the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year and was also adjudged ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022.

Upon receiving the accolade, he said in a video released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI):

"Thank you so much ICC for naming me ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the year. I mean, it is a great feeling and 2022 has been amazing for me. From a personal point of view, I really enjoyed a few knocks that I played and if I had to pick one knock, which I feel was special and close to me, it has to be my first hundred for my country, the first hundred is always special. Hopefully, many more knocks to come."

Suryakumar has scored 1651 runs at a strike rate of 175.64 since making his T20I debut in 2021. He has had a profound impact on Team India and the manner in which they approach middle overs and the overall brand of cricket in the shortest format as well.

Will Suryakumar Yadav create an all-time T20I batting rating record soon? Let us know what you think.

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