India storm ahead of South Africa to claim the top spot in ODIs

India commenced their tour of South Africa with a couple of horrendous defeats against the hosts. However, their fortunes changed during the final Test at Johannesburg. They carried forward the form in The One Day International series and rolled over the Proteas by a massive margin of six wickets. The spinners strangled the batsmen, while Virat Kohli’s masterclass guided India past the finishing line.

The series has undoubtedly begun on an auspicious note for the Indians as they now have taken a 1-0 lead in the six-match series. However, apart from their victory, India also managed to sneak South Africa past to become the top-ranked team in ODIs. Prior to the series, the Proteas headed the list with 121 points compared to India’s 119 points.

A golden opportunity for India

However, the joy doesn’t end for India as they also have an opportunity to sustain their top-spot in the 50-over format.  Provided India manage to defeat South Africa by a margin of 4-2, the Men in Blue will end the series on top of the rankings. While South Africa will lose rating points and slip down to 118, India will end with 122 points.

Apart from their quest of notching a series victory, both teams have plenty to fight for with ODI rankings at stake. The top five spots in ODIs are closely-knitted and teams are breathing down the necks of each other. England, Australia and New Zealand with 116, 115 and 115 points respectively are the other competitors for the top positions in the One Day format.

After the ODI series, India will lock horns with South Africa in a three-match T20 International series where the Men in Blue are currently ranked third. Meanwhile, South Africa hold the sixth position in the rankings. For the time being, after a riveting start to the ODI series at Durban, the focus shifts to Pretorius for the second encounter.

Latest ICC ODI Team Rankings

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