Team India had its chances during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023 tournament, but a shocking defeat for Bangladesh in the Super Four stage he denied them that elusive part of ranking history. And despite winning the title at the perfect time, against Sri Lanka, their first trophy in a multinational event in five years, India fell short of the top spot in the ICC rankings in ODI cricket with Pakistan claiming it back. However, on Friday, with a comprehensive five-wicket win against Australia In Mohali, India dethroned Pakistan to become the world’s new number one ODI team and subsequently achieved a rare feat in ranking history.
Mohammed Shami’s career-best 5 for 51, his second five-wicket haul in ODIs and the first by an Indian fast bowler at home in 16 years, helped India restrict Australia to 276 after David Warner and Steve Smith stitched a 94-run second-wicket stand.
Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad then smashed an impressive opening stand of 142 runs and both scored their respective 70 before Suryakumar Yadav He scored his first ODI fifty in 590 days as India chased down the target with eight balls to spare, making it recorded as a five-wicket win that helped them take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
With the victory, India, with 116 rating points, overtook arch-rivals Pakistan (115) to take the top spot in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings.
Australia, for its part, fell to third place with 111 points. The five-time ODI world champions had a chance to go top, ahead of Pakistan and India, having taken a 2-0 lead against South Africa last week, but then lost three in a row to concede the big chance to the world Cup. Cup in India. And with Friday’s loss, Australia no longer has a chance of becoming the No. 1-ranked team heading into the tournament.
The victory also meant that India is now the world’s number one ranked team across all formats, having already held the top spot in Tests and T20Is. This is only the second volume in the history of men’s cricket in which an international team has occupied the top three rankings after South Africa in August 2012. In the longest format, India have been among the most consistent teams, having went to a second consecutive world championship. Test championship final in June, although it ended with a loss to Australia. And in the T20Is, India reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Australia, while they have been an impressive team in the bilateral competitions, having lost just one of their 14 series since the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Pakistan’s threat stalks India
Despite rising to the top spot, India still faces the threat of Pakistan, which is completely dependent on Australia to claim its throne. If Australia manages to defeat India in the remaining two matches, the hosts may lose the top spot and allow Babar Azam’s men to take control once again. Therefore, the Men in Blue only need a single victory to secure their place for the World Cup.