SA vs IND, 2018: Port Elizabeth win Helps Team India seal No.1 spot in ICC ODI rankings

Team India has leapfrogged South Africa to claim the number-one position in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI Team Rankings after the series-winning triumph over the hosts South Africa in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday (February 13).

The Men in Blue thrashed the beleaguered hosts by 73 runs in the fifth ODI to win the six-match series with one match to be held at SuperSport Park on February 15.

Eventually, the victory also helped India seal their first-ever bilateral series win in South Africa.  Virat Kohli and Co also managed to jump up one spot to the top the ranking chart with 122 points. On the other hand, the Proteas slipped from 121 to 118 points.

India were two points shy of South Africa before the series kicked off in Durban on February 1. The visitors had 119 points to their kitty while the hosts were on 121 points.

Team India needed to win the series 4-2 or by a better margin to reclaim the number one spot in the rankings. As a result, India will remain atop irrespective of the result in the final game.

On the other hand, if India wins the series 5-1, then they will finish on 123 points, while South Africa will end on 117 points.

HISTORY created!#TeamIndia's first bilateral ODI series win in South Africa! An unassailable 4-1 lead now with just one more to play. #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/qrJerFGZXc

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 13, 2018

Here are the latest rankings:

India dismantles Proteas:

Kohli and his men came up with another clinical performance in the fifth game. After scoring 274 for seven, India bowled out the hosts for just 201 runs – to register an impressive win.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma provided India with a good start. The duo added 48 runs, before Dhawan fell to Kagiso Rabada. Rohit and Kohli then shared a 105-run stand for the second wicket to lay the platform for a good total.

However, India failed to capitalise on the opportunity as middle-order struggled against hosts bowling line-up.

The tourists kept on losing wickets at regular intervals which stopped them from finishing the innings strongly. Rohit Sharma scored a fine 115 which helped India post a challenging 274 in the allotted 50 overs.

The bowlers then did a fine job to bowl out the hosts for just 201 inside 43 overs. Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball, picking up 4 while Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya picked up two apiece.

Here’s the newsfeed:

SA vs IND, 2018: Rohit Sharma credits top-order to script history in South Africa

SA vs IND, 2018: Virender Sehwag congratulates Virat Kohli and Co after series triumph