Can India beat Pakistan to claim top spot in ODI rankings ahead of ODI World Cup? Check possible scenarios

Rohit Sharma and Co. have won the eighth title of the Asia Cup as they easily decimated Sri Lanka’s batting order to win the tournament on September 17 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Notably, despite producing sensational performances in the Asia Cup 2023, Team India couldn’t get the top spot in the ODI rankings. However, the Pakistan team maintains its top spot in the ODI rankings despite losing by a big margin against the Men in Blue and suffering a narrow loss against Sri Lanka during the Super Fours of the Asia Cup 2023.

Meanwhile, Team India single-handedly defeated Sri Lanka in the final but couldn’t get the top spot as they previously lost by 6 runs against Bangladesh in the last and final game of the Super Fours of the Asia Cup 2023. Following the loss, they missed an opportunity to get top spots in all three formats. In addition, Australia also lost the five matches of the ODI series against South Africa by 2-3, which places them in the third spot in the ranking.

Team India needs to win the ODI series against Australia by 2-1 or 3-0

Notably, Team India will be taking the Pat Cummins side for the three matches of the ODI series with three days to go. In addition, there is still a way for the Men in Blue to get a top spot in the rankings. Team India needs to win the series by 2-1 or 3-0 against a strong visiting side to claim the top spot. Earlier, Pakistan registered a 3-0 win over Afghanistan in the three matches of the ODI series ahead of the Asia Cup 2023, which helped them grab the top spot in the rankings.

Meanwhile, it will not be a cup of tea for Team India to win the series against Australia owing to the fact that some big players have been rested for the first two ODIs while they will be featuring directly in the third ODI. However, the visitors are set to play with their full strength ahead of the ODI World Cup. Notably, the matches are set to be played on September 22, 24, and 27 in Mohali, Indore, and Rajkot, which is the last and final preparation for Team India heading to the ODI World Cup.