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
