News
14 Feb 2018, 09:28 am
Summary
This post explains how India secured and will finish the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings top spot after their Port Elizabeth victory, detailing points scenarios and historical context.
India moved from 119 to 122 ranking points after a 4-1 lead in the six-match series, a margin that mathematically guarantees they will finish above South Africa even if the Proteas win the final match, because South Africa would finish on 118 (or 119 with a final win) versus India’s minimum 121.
The post highlights the series narrative and required threshold: India needed at least a 4-2 series win to claim the number-one ODI ranking alongside their existing Test top spot; early 2-0 and subsequent wins kept them on track despite South Africa’s brief comeback in Johannesburg.
This marks India’s fifth time finishing a series as the top-ranked ODI team and their first such finish since October 2017, placing them above South Africa (118), England (116), New Zealand (115) and Australia (112) in the current standings.
The article provides the full top-11 points table, demonstrating the competitive gaps and confirming Pakistan (96), Bangladesh (90), Sri Lanka (84), West Indies (76), Afghanistan (53), Zimbabwe (52) and Ireland (44) positions for context.
India have cemented their number-one ranking in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings after victory in Tuesday’s match in Port Elizabeth, which confirmed that they will finish the series on top of the table irrespective of how the final match in Centurion pans out. India had entered the six-match series in second position on 119 points, two points behind leaders South Africa. After taking a 4-1 lead, India have moved to 122 points, while South Africa have dropped to 118 points. Even if South Africa wins on Friday, India will remain No.1 on 121 points, while South Africa will end on 119 points. In contrast, if India wins the series 5-1, then they will finish on 123 points, while South Africa will end on 117 points. India had started the series fully aware that they would have to win the series by 4-2 or better if they were to add No.1 ODI ranking to their No.1 Test ranking.. Virat Kohli’s side leapfrogged the Proteas into number-one position after taking a 2-0 lead, but required two more wins to ensure that they finished in this position at the end of the series. India remained on course when they won the Cape Town ODI, but South Africa pulled one back in Johannesburg to keep alive their chances of drawing the series at three-all, which, in turn, would have helped it to finish the series in number-one position. This is the first time since October 2017 and fifth time overall that India have finished on top of the ODI rankings following the conclusion of a series since rising to the top for the first time in January 2013. Below are the details of when India have been the number-one ranked ODI side:
Rank Team Points
1. India 122
South Africa 118
England 116
New Zealand 115
Australia 112
Pakistan 96
Bangladesh 90
Sri Lanka 84
Windies 76
Afghanistan 53
Zimbabwe 52
Ireland 44
