Before their clash with Bangladesh on September 15, India occupied the No. 2 position in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings with 116 rating points, just slightly behind the top-ranked Australia, who held 118 points.
India, already dominating the Test and T20I rankings, had a golden opportunity to secure the top spot in ODIs.
To achieve this, two conditions needed to be met:
1. India had to defeat Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Super Four match
2. South Africa had to emerge victorious against top-ranked Australia in the penultimate ODI of their five-match series
However, only one of these scenarios unfolded as planned.
South Africa secured an impressive 164-run win over Australia, but India suffered a narrow defeat to Bangladesh by just six runs.
Image credit: ICC
This loss not only denied India the chance to lead the rankings across formats but also dropped them to the No. 3 spot, with a rating of 114, behind Pakistan and Australia.
Australia and Pakistan were separated by a slim rating margin, with Australia holding a rating of 115.259 and Pakistan at No. 2 with a rating of 114.889.
Even if Australia lose their final ODI to South Africa and India become Asia Cup champions on Sunday (September 17), India will still not claim the No. 1 ranking.
In this scenario, Australia’s defeat would open the door for Pakistan to take the top spot.
The battle for the top spot will continue as India host Australia in a three-match ODI series starting on September 22.
This series will not only help both teams gain momentum for the World Cup but also determine who will be the No. 1 ODI side heading into the tournament.