SA vs IND 2018: India Dethrone South Africa to Regain No 1 Spot in ODI Rankings

India has reclaimed the number one spot in the ICC ODI rankings for teams, thus dethroning South Africa after beating the Proteas by six wickets in Kingsmead, Durban on Thursday (February 1).

According to the latest ICC ODI Team Rankings, the Men in Blue are sitting atop the list followed by South Africa.

Before the game started, the Virat Kohli-led side was placed on the second spot with 119 points while the hosts were two points ahead on 121.

However, Kohli & Co. reclaimed the top spot following the convincing win in the first match of the six-match One-Day International series. India and South Africa are closely followed by England (116), New Zealand (115) and Australia (115). But with none of the bottom three teams in top five involved in any ODI assignment in recent times, India and South Africa can nonchalantly fight it out for the numero uno status in 50-over cricket.

It was a convincing win from India right from the time when Faf du Plessis won the toss and invited the visitors to bowl first. At 83 for one, the Proteas were looking set for a good total, but once the spinners came into play, their innings got derailed, as they were restricted to 269 for eight in the allotted 50 overs.

Du Plessis scored a fighting 120 but watched from the other end, as Kuldeep Yadav (3 for 34) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2 for 45) ran through his side to reduce them from 83 for one to 134 for five.

South Africa then managed to post a challenging total, thanks to the 74-run partnership between du Plessis and Chris Morris for the sixth wicket.

In reply, India chased down the total with utmost ease in the 46th over. Indian openers – Rohit Sharma (20) and Shikhar (35) failed to get going, but a record 189-run stand between Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane helped the team win the first game. Kohli scored 112 while Rahane compiled 79.

Meanwhile, India can hold onto their number one spot only if they manage to win the series by 4-2 or by a better margin. Such win will help India finish the series with 122 points while South Africa will end the six-game series with 118 points. On the other hand, the Proteas can snatch back their top spot by just drawing the series.

Here is the news feed:

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