Dubai, Jan. 28 -- India's white-ball contingent received a timely boost ahead of their ICC Men's T20 World Cup title defence, with several top players making significant gains in the latest ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings following strong performances against New Zealand.

Opener Abhishek Sharma continues to reign supreme among T20I batters, extending his lead at the top of the rankings after scoring back-to-back half-centuries in the opening two matches of the ongoing five-match T20I series against the Black Caps. The left-hander now boasts a rating of 929 points, just two shy of his career-best mark of 931 achieved during last year's Asia Cup, and holds an 80-point advantage over England's Phil Salt, who remains second. India's Tilak Var...