The Indian team is unlikely to rise up in the ODI ranking even if they whitewash Zimbabwe in the upcoming three-match series beginning in Harare on June 11.Team India has currently ranked fourth in the ICC ODI five points ahead of fifth-placed Sri Lanka and behind leaders Australia (124 points), New Zealand (113) and South Africa (112).
Different scenarios:
1. If India wins 3-0:
If India win all the matches against Zimbabwe, then they will gain only one point as the African nation is currently ranked at 11th place.The whitewash will take India’s points tally to 110.
2. If India wins 2-1:
If India win the series 2-1, then MS Dhoni’s side will slip to 108 points and Zimbabwe will move from 47 to 48 points.
In another series starting from June 3 featuring West Indies, Australia, and South Africa, all the three teams will have a golden opportunity to gain some crucial points. A total of 10 matches will be played in the triple league format with the top two sides progressing to the final.
World T20 champions West Indies are currently placed eighth in the ODI rankings and lead Pakistan by just a solitary point, but trails Australia by a huge margin of 36 points and South Africa by 24 points. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, every West Indies win over Australia or South Africa will earn them valuable points.
Different scenarios:
1. If Australia remains unbeaten in the series, then they will collect five points and move to 129 points, consolidating their position at the top.
2. If South Africa remain undefeated in the series,they will gain six points and rise to 118 points.
3. In case West Indies win all their matches, they will gain 18 points which will take their points tally to 106 from 88.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s AB de Villiers and West Indies’ spinner Sunil Narine will start the series as the number-one ODI batsman and bowler, respectively.
De Villiers is ahead of India’s Virat Kohli, who will miss the Zimbabwe tour, by 75 points. Three points separate the third-ranked Hashim Amla and fourth-ranked Quinton de Kock.
Surprisingly, Australia have no batsman inside the top 10. Glenn Maxwell is the highest ranked Aussie at fourteenth position followed by his compatriots, David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and George Bailey. These five batsmen are only divided by 13 points.
In the bowlers’ chart, a returning Mitchell Starc is the second highest-ranked bowler to feature in the tri-series after Narine. Starc, who was adjudged the player of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, last played an ODI against England in Manchester in 2015 and will start in fourth place, 49 points behind Narine.
Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh is leading the all-rounders list, while Australia’s fifth-ranked James Faulkner will aim to reduce the gap.