ODI series win can push India closer to Australia

New Delhi:

MS Dhoni-led Team India can close in the gap with top-ranked Australia in the ICC ODI Championship table with a clean sweep in the forthcoming five-match ODI series at home against Sri Lanka.

India are now placed second with 122 points and a 5-0 win against the Lankans will take them to 126, four points behind Australia.

However, a 5-0 clean sweep by Sri Lanka - now on 106 points - will put both the sides on 115 ratings points while a 3-2 win by the visitors will lift them to 110. That will drop India to 119 points but still ahead of South Africa.

The ODI series begins in Rajkot on December 15.

South Africa, after losing 1-2 to England in the ODI series, have dropped behind India at third place. England moves ahead of Pakistan in fifth spot.

Meanwhile, in the ICC rankings for batsmen, Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar gained one place each to occupy seventh and eighth spots respectively, while Dhoni continues to be atop the list.

In the bowlers' list, Harbhajan Singh dropped out of the top-10 zone and the India off-spinner is now at 11th, a loss of the three places.

In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Collingwood has climbed three places and now sits just outside the top five in seventh position.

Shakib Al Hasan leads the field with Shane Watson of Australia second, India's Yuvraj Singh third and a three-way tie for fourth spot between Jacques Kallis of South Africa, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and New Zealand's Jacob Oram.

(With PTI inputs)