India drops to third in ODI rankings

International Cricket CouncilDubai, Feb. 9 : India has slipped back to third in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table following defeat in the fifth and final match of its away series against Sri Lanka.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team had moved ahead of Australia and to within four ratings points of leader South Africa when it went 4-0 up in the series but a combination of Sri Lanka's strong showing in the final ODI and Australia beating New Zealand in the third ODI of its ongoing five-match series has meant they have returned to third position.

That means that if India wins its series against New Zealand 5-0 it will move to 124 ratings points, which is not enough to overtake South Africa at the top.

In fact, by the current fixture schedule, only New Zealand can topple Graeme Smith and friends by the cut-off date of 1 April. But to do that the Black Caps need to win all seven of the remaining ODIs they will play before then, an ICC press release said.

The side that leads the listing on 1 April will be USD 175,000 richer while the runner-up will collect USD 75,000. The ongoing series in Australia and the upcoming one between New Zealand and India look set to determine where those pay-outs will end up.

At this stage, the best Australia and India can do is come second in the table. Even if Ricky Ponting's team wins the remaining two matches against Daniel Vettori's men it will stay behind South Africa by a fraction of a ratings point.(ANI)

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