India Aim for Sole No. 1 Spot in ICC ODI Rankings as they Take on West Indies
A 4-1 win for India and 3-0 win for Australia against Pakistan in the UAE will put both the sides on 114 ratings points, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side will retain the number-one position by a fraction of a point.
India have a chance to become the sole number one team, a position currently shared with South Africa, in the ICC ODI rankings if the hosts blank West Indies 5-0 in the series starting October 8 in Kochi.
If India win all five matches of the series, they will rise to 116 ratings point and grab sole position on top of the table, the ICC said in a statement.
A 4-1 win for India and 3-0 win for Australia against Pakistan in the UAE will put both the sides on 114 ratings points, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side will retain the number-one position by a fraction of a point.
In the individual rankings, third-ranked Virat Kohli will be aiming to reclaim the number-one spot in the ODI batsmen's list when he takes the field against the West Indies.
Kohli surged to the top of the table earlier this year but slipped after missing the series against Bangladesh. He now trails number-one ranked AB de Villiers by 24 ratings points.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (sixth) and opener Shikhar Dhawan (seventh) are the other India batsman featuring inside the top 10.
For the West Indies, Darren Bravo (37th) is the high-ranked batsman, while Lendl Simmons is in 40th position. Both will be looking to gain ground on their nearest competitors when the action gets underway.
In the ICC Players Rankings for ODI Bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja is India's top ranked bowler in fifth spot, 13 points shy of England's James Anderson. In Sunil Narine's absence, 18th placed Kemar Roach is the West Indies top ranked bowler and he will be keen to progress up the leaderboard.
Jadeja also has a chance to climb the rankings for all-rounders as he currently sits in third place, five points off Sri Lanka's Mathews.