ODI series result could see India and South Africa swap their spots in the ICC rankings
The 5-match ODI series between India and South Africa, which kicks off with the first one-dayer at Kanpur on Sunday, could see the teams interchange their spots in the ICC rankings, IBNLive reports. The hosts currently lie in the 2nd spot, 5 points ahead of the Proteas and should win at least two matches to maintain status quo in the rankings.
The 2-0 T20 series loss against South Africa had a major impact for India as they dropped down to the 6th spot in team rankings while Virat Kohli was displaced as the No 1 ranked batsman in the format. The hosts would be mindful of the same repeating in the ODI format as well.
A 4-1 series victory for the visitors will see the Proteas overthrowing India from the second spot with 113 points, ahead of the hosts by a solitary point. Though India will be disappointed by a 3-2 series loss, the two victories will ensure that India retains its second spot, ahead of South Africa by two points.
On a highly optimistic note, a 5-0 clean sweep for India will see the hosts reducing the gap at the top of the ICC rankings to 8 points behind Australia, who have 127 points. such a scenario will see South Africa drop down to fourth place behind New Zealand, on 107 points.
On the contrary, a 5-0 victory for the visitors means South Africa will pull ahead of India further in the 2nd spot with 115 points, compared to the hosts 110.
| Rank | Teams | Rating |
| 1 | Australia | 127 |
| 2 | India | 115 |
| 3 | South Africa | 110 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 109 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 103 |
Impact on player rankings
The contest also features five of the Top 10 batsmen in the world, including the top three of AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, and Virat Kohli as well as Imran Tahir who is the top-ranked player in the bowler rankings.
De Villiers, the South African ODI skipper, sits pretty at the top of the rankings, holding a healthy 73-point advantage over compatriot Hashim Amla while Kohli is a further 21 points behind. The crucial will also be crucial for the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and MS Dhoni, who will look to cement their positions in the Top 10 ( 6th & 8th respectively) as well as the likes of Rohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina who will look to break into the Top 10 from the Top 20 status they enjoy presently.
| Rank | Batsman | Rating |
| 1 | AB de Villiers | 884 |
| 2 | Hashim Amla | 811 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | 790 |
| 4 | Kane Williamson | 788 |
| 5 | Tillekaratne Dilshan | 781 |
| 6 | Shikhar Dhawan | 765 |
| 7 | Ross Taylor | 728 |
| 8 | MS Dhoni | 723 |
| 9 | Glenn Maxwell | 717 |
| 10 | Aaron Finch | 696 |
Amongst the bowlers, South Africa hold the edge with No 1 ranked Tahir well supported by the returning pace duo of Dale Steyn (5th) and Morne Morkel (11th). In-form off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the highest-ranked Indian at the 9th spot closely followed by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar at No 10.
| Rank | Bowler | Rating |
| 1 | Imran Tahir | 723 |
| 2 | Mitchell Starc | 713 |
| 3 | Sunil Narine | 709 |
| 4 | Trent Boult | 705 |
| 5 | Dale Steyn | 694 |
| 6 | Shakib Al Hasan | 690 |
| 7 | Mitchell Johnson | 672 |
| 8 | Saeed Ajmal | 655 |
| 9 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 644 |
| 10 | Bhuvaneshwar Kumar | 639 |
JP Duminy, the Man of the Series from the T20 leg of the tour is the highest-ranked all-rounder at the ninth spot and will be looking to move up the rankings as he hopes to convert his words of bettering his performances into action.