India vs South Africa: India to Put Its Number-Two Position on Line in One-Day Internationals
Team India lead South Africa by five points and need to win two matches in order to stop falling behind the Proteas.
India will look to defend their number-two position on the International Cricket Council's team chart when the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side takes on third-ranked South Africa in the five-match ODI cricket series, which begins in Kanpur on Sunday. (India vs South Africa: Under-Fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni Aims For Turnaround in ODI Series)
India, who lead South Africa by five points, need to win two matches in order to stop falling behind the Proteas.
A 4-1 win for the AB de Villiers-led side will put push them to second place with 113 points, while India will drop to third with 112 points, according to an ICC release.
However, a 3-2 series win for the tourists will mean India will hold on to their second spot on 114 points, but South Africa would reduce the reducing the gap of five points to two. (India vs South Africa: Russell Domingo wary of wily Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of Kanpur ODI)
Meanwhile, a series sweep for India would see them advance to 119 points and narrow Australia's lead at the top to eight points. Such a scenario will push South Africa to the fourth spot behind New Zealand on 107 points.
Meanwhile, the top three batsmen in the player rankings will also feature in the series. South Africa ODI captain AB de Villiers holds a 73-point advantage over his compatriot and second-ranked Hashim Amla who, in turn, is 21 points clear of India's Virat Kohli.
Apart from Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan (sixth) and Dhoni (eighth) are the other batsmen who represent the home side inside the top 10 and will be looking for upward movements during the series.
Outside the top 10, Rohit Sharma (15th), Faf du Plessis (17th) and Suresh Raina (18th), Quinton de Kock (23rd), David Miller (26th), Jean-Paul Duminy (34th), Ajinkya Rahane (38th) and Ambati Rayudu (49th) will be aiming to improve their rankings. (Hardik Patel's Protest Threat Leaves Rajkot Cricket Bosses in a Spin)
In the bowlers rankings, South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir will look to hold onto his number-one ODI bowler tag. The wrist spinner leads Australia's Mitchell Starc, with fifth-ranked Dale Steyn not too far behind.
Other bowlers looking to head in the right direction include Ravichandran Ashwin (ninth), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10th), Morne Morkel (11th), Umesh Yadav (24th), Amit Mishra (45th) and Mohit Sharma (48th).
Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan holds a commanding lead at the top of the all-rounders list and the highest-ranked all-rounder on either side heading into the series is ninth-placed Duminy.