India vs South Africa: What's in Store for MS Dhoni's Team

With almost all Test-playing nations playing each other to prepare for next year's ICC World Twenty20, India and South Africa will be playing for crucial points in the upcoming three-match series starting in Dharamsala on October 2. MS Dhoni's Team India will not only play for pride but some valuable ranking points as well. (India Aim To Become The Best Fielding Unit)

The ICC World Twenty20 will be staged from March 11 to April 3, 2016, and Sri Lanka will defend the title they won in Dhaka last year defeating 2007 champion India in the final.

Besides preparing for the 16-team ICC World Twenty20 2016, the sides will also aim to improve their positions on the ICC T20I Team Rankings. Fourth-ranked India currently lead sixth-ranked South Africa by seven points, which means there will be changes in the table irrespective of how the series pans out. (It's Virat Kohli vs Faf du Plessis; Ravichandran Ashwin vs Imran Tahir)

India will have an incentive to rise two places to second but, to make it happen, Dhoni's men will have to win all the three matches. In this scenario, India will join number-one ranked Sri Lanka on 126 points but will be placed below the Asian neighbours when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. (No Liquor to be Served During Dharamsala T20)

If the series result is reversed, then South Africa will join the West Indies on 117 points but will be ranked behind the Caribbean side at the fifth spot, while India will slip to eighth position. (India vs South Africa: The Mind Games Begin)

A 2-1 series win for India will lift it ahead of Australia and just one point behind second-ranked Pakistan, while the same result for South Africa will help it rise to fifth with India dropping to sixth. (India Hold The Advantage Over Proteas in T20Is)