Shafali rises to sixth in ICC batting rankings, Mandhana slips

New Delhi: India opener Shafali Verma climbed two places to sixth in the ICC Women's T20I Batting Rankings after her half-century against South Africa in the ongoing five-match T20I series.

Shafali struck a 57 off 38 balls in the second T20I in Durban last Sunday, but India lost to the hosts by eight wickets, slipping to 0-2 in the series.

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India had also been defeated in the opening T20I at the same venue by six wickets, with Shafali contributing 34 runs.

India vice-captain and Shafali's opening partner, Smriti Mandhana, has slipped one spot to fourth after an underwhelming showing in the two matches so far, scoring 13 and 12. She has been overtaken at No. 3 by West Indies' Hayley Matthews.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has climbed two places and is now on the brink of the top 10, currently ranked 11th. She scored an unbeaten 47 in the first T20I.

Women's World Cup hero Jemimah Rodrigues has suffered a notable drop of four places and is now ranked 14th among batters following a subdued run of form.

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The series serves as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin in June in England and Wales.

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has retained her fifth position among T20I batters, sitting behind Australia's Georgia Voll, following a fine half-century in the second match against India.

Her teammates Annerie Dercksen, who has jumped 18 places to 33rd, and Sune Luus, up eight spots to 35th, have also made significant gains in the rankings after strong performances in the Durban match.

Meanwhile, India's bowling stalwarts Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, and Arundhati Reddy have all slipped in the bowlers' rankings. Deepti has dropped two places to fifth, while Renuka has fallen four spots to ninth.

Arundhati, meanwhile, has moved out of the top 10 after slipping three places to 12th.