India captain Virat Kohli has retained the top spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings for the batsmen, released by the International Cricket Council on Friday (August 18).
With 873 points, the 28-year-old is leading second-placed David Warner by 12 points and will have a chance to increase the gap during the upcoming five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting in Dambulla on Sunday (August 20).
The second-highest ranked Indian batsman in the rankings is former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni at 12th followed by Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma at 13th and 14th, respectively.
In bowling, the highest-ranked Indian bowler is Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the 13th position, and he is followed by the left-arm spinner Axar Patel at 20th. Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the West Indies series, is at 31st. South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir is leading the bowlers’ list.
In the team rankings in the 50-over format, the Men in Blue are currently at number three and need to win the series against Sri Lanka by at least 4-1 to retain that position ahead of England who trails India by just a solitary point. With 114 points in their kitty, India will lose one point even if they win the series 3-2 and will fall behind England on decimal points.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be looking to put the recent setbacks behind and put up a good performance to ensure direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The Islanders needs to win at least two games against the two-time world champions to stave off the challenge from West Indies.
The cut-off date for the direct qualification is September 30, and Sri Lanka is currently placed eighth with 88 points, 10 points ahead of West Indies.
In case, Sri Lanka lose the series by 4-1, they will finish the series with 88 points and West Indies can topple them on decimal points if they win all their upcoming six matches. On the other hand, the Caribbean side will be out of the race for the direct qualification if they lose to Ireland, as from there it will at best reach 86 points and remain behind Sri Lanka on decimal points, even if India whitewashes Sri Lanka.
The four lowest-ranked ODI teams will have to play a Qualifying event to play the main event in England. The tournament will also feature the top four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and top two sides from the ICC World Cricket League. The top two teams from this event will get to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.