India slips to third in latest ICC ODI rankings; Australia retains top spot, Pakistan in second place
According to the latest ICC ODI men’s team rankings announced on Thursday, India has dropped to the third position, trailing Pakistan by a point and world number one Australia by three points. Australia has maintained its lead position with an improved rating of 118, up from 113 in the annual update. Pakistan is in second place with 116 points, just ahead of India’s 115 points.
The rankings update takes into account all completed ODI series since May 2020, with earlier series given a weightage of 50 percent and subsequent series at 100 percent. The update has impacted India’s ranking due to their 2-1 series loss to Australia earlier this year. Pakistan’s recent victories, including a 4-0 away series win against New Zealand, have boosted their ranking and helped them leapfrog India.
New Zealand is in fourth place with 104 points, while England has experienced a significant 10-point drop in their rating, putting them in fifth place with 101 points. Afghanistan has made a significant jump to eighth place, moving ahead of Sri Lanka and the West Indies. South Africa and Bangladesh are in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
With only three points separating the top three teams, an exciting competition is expected at the top of the rankings ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
