India, Sri Lanka Set Sights on South Africa's ODI Top Spot
India need to beat Sri Lanka 4-1 while the latter require a 5-0 whitewash in the upcoming five-match series to replace South Africa at the No.1 spot in ODI rankings.
Currently placed at number three behind South Africa and Australia, India have an opportunity to jump to the top in the ICC ODI team rankings if they win the upcoming five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka 4-1 or better. (Also read: BCCI demand multi-million dollar settlement from West Indies Cricket Board)
A 4-1 series win will put India at par with South Africa on 115 ratings points, but when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, then they will be ranked number-one. A 5-0 sweep will mean India will take a two-point lead over South Africa. (Is Rohit Sharma's World Cup 2015 spot in jeopardy?)
India are now leading fourth-ranked Sri Lanka by two ratings points. (Varun Aaron should have replaced Mohammed Shami, says Sourav Ganguly)
Even Sri Lanka have a fair chance of climbing up to No. 1 position in the table, but it would be a challenging task, as the Islanders will have to win all their five matches in order to achieve that, the ICC said in a statement.
If Sri Lanka are able to win all five matches, they will join South Africa on 115 ratings points but will be ranked number-one by a fraction of a point. If the visitors win the series by 4-1, then it will swap places with the reigning world champion.
Meanwhile, India's captain for the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli will be aiming to regain the number-one ranking in the series, starting tomorrow in Cuttack. (Match practice better than net practice, legends tell Angelo Mathews & Team)
The 25-year-old batsman is currently in third position in the ICC Player rankings for ODI batsmen, trailing number one ranked AB de Villiers of South Africa by 30 ratings points.
Rival openers Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka and India's Shikhar Dhawan are in seventh and ninth positions, respectively and both will be aiming for upward movements.
In the ODI bowlers' chart, India's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in sixth position is the highest-ranked bowler from either side. He will also be aiming to better his rankings.