ICC T20I Rankings Update: India have reclaimed the No.1 position in the ICC men's T20I rankings just three days after England moved ahead, with their narrow two-run win over Japan restoring top billing. The result came after a rain-affected contest in Sano was reduced to five overs per side, with India surviving a surprisingly tight finish against their hosts. Despite the slim margin of victory, the result was enough to move India back above England in the latest rankings.

India Back Atop ICC T20I Rankings

India returned to the summit after their five-over contest against Japan, moving ahead of England despite both teams carrying a rating of 269 in the rankings table after the match.

India have accumulated 17,480 points from 65 matches, while England have 11,021 points from 41 games. Australia remain third with 9,868 points and a rating of 260 overall currently now.

New Zealand occupy fourth place with 12,348 points and a 247 rating from 50 matches. South Africa are fifth, with 12,881 points and a rating of 243 in the table.

The rankings movement at the top was limited to India and England, with India climbing one place and England dropping to second after the result against Japan in Sano finally.

Japan stayed 41st in the men's T20I rankings despite pushing India to the final stages of their shortened contest in Sano during the bilateral fixture between the two sides there.

India Survive Japan Challenge In Five-Over Match

The match, staged to mark 75 years of India-Japan friendship, was reduced from 20 overs to five per side because of difficult conditions, creating an unexpectedly close finish for both teams.

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat, but movement in the challenging conditions restricted India to 32 for four.

After the game, Iyer praised Japan's performance and said the contest provided both teams with a worthwhile experience, while acknowledging how closely the hosts competed against India on the day.

"I personally feel that at least we got a game to see and to honestly experience such a great performance from the Japanese team and also the Indian players as well. So yeah, overall, I feel it was an exciting game, and yeah, honestly, they were also brilliant with their performances," Iyer said after the match.

The victory therefore had a significant effect at the very top of the rankings, allowing India to regain first place despite the narrow two-run margin against Japan.

India's return to No.1 also came only 72 hours after England had taken the position, making the top spot one of the most closely contested positions in the latest T20I rankings.