Team India’s stay at the top of the One-Day Internationals ranking did not last long. Virat Kohli & Co. leapfrogged South Africa to take the number one spot after winning the third One-Day International of the ongoing five-match series against world champions Australia. However, India soon dropped to number 2 after losing the following game by 21 runs.
The defeat also ended India’s 9-match winning streak in ODIs as Virat Kohli failed to break MS Dhoni‘s record of leading India to 9 consecutive wins in the 50-over format. On the other hand, it was Australia’s first overseas win in ODIs in 14 attempts. Their win-less streak had begun last year with a 5-0 whitewash in South Africa before they lost the Chappell-Hadlee series 2-0. In the Champions Trophy, they lost one while two of their group games were washed out before being beaten in the first three games by the Men in Blue.
However, the world champions sent out a statement of intent in the fourth ODI by winning it convincingly. Batting first. they rode on David Warner’s 124 and Aaron Finch’s 94 to post a mammoth 334 for 5 in the allotted 50 overs. In reply, India gave a good fightback but were eventually restricted to 313 for 8 and thus lost the top rank.
However, Virat Kohli & Co. will have another shot at the number one spot in the fifth and final ODI of the series, which is scheduled to be played in Nagpur on Sunday, October 1. A win will see them reclaim the number one spot.
Here is the current rankings:
Rank | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
1 | South Africa | 50 | 5,957 | 119 |
2 | India | 49 | 5,828 | 119 |
3 | Australia | 51 | 5,879 | 115 |
4 | England | 54 | 6,156 | 114 |
5 | New Zealand | 46 | 5,123 | 111 |
6 | Pakistan | 41 | 3,885 | 95 |
7 | Bangladesh | 31 | 2,905 | 94 |
8 | Sri Lanka | 59 | 5,088 | 86 |
9 | West Indies | 40 | 3,077 | 77 |
10 | Afghanistan | 30 | 1,618 | 54 |
11 | Zimbabwe | 41 | 2,129 | 52 |
12 | Ireland | 25 | 1,028 | 41 |