India drop to fifth position in ICC rankings |Cricket

India drop to fifth position in ICC rankings |Cricket

Cardiff, Sep 17 (IANS) World champions India dropped to the fifth position in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table after England won the five-match ODI series 3-0 here Friday.

It is Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side's lowest ranking since October 2008, when it spent three months at the number-five position, to sum up a disappointing summer in England where it slipped from number-one position in the ICC Test Championship to third spot after losing all the four Tests.

India had entered the series in third position on 117 ratings points and finished on 112 ratings points after it lost the second, third and fifth ODIs while the first ODI at Chester-le-Street was washed out and the fourth at Lord's ended in a tie.

In fact, India had slipped to fourth position after the third ODI at The Oval where it went down by three wickets (according to Duckworth-Lewis method) and then slipped further behind after defeat in another rain-reduced match in Cardiff.

In contrast, England has gained a place and has moved to fourth position. For remaining unbeaten in the series, Alastair Cook's side earned six ratings points which has left it just one point ahead of India and three behind third-ranked South Africa.

However, India will have a chance to not only reclaim lost ground but potentially move into second position depending on how it performs in the five-match ODI series against England which starts at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad Oct 14.

But India will also have an eye on the three-match ODI series between South Africa and Australia, which starts at Centurion from Oct 19.