Australia vs India: Ranking scenarios for the ODI series

After a high-intensity Test series, India and Australia will be locking horns once again in the three-match ODI series. The visitors are high on confidence after winning the Test series for the first time down under in 71 years and will be looking to continue their dominance in the limited-overs format. While some of the Indian players from the Test series are also part of the ODI team, Australia resembles almost an entirely different look to their One-Day International team.

Australian selectors dropped a few bombshells in the team selection as they dropped the likes of Chris Lynn and Ashton Agar after a poor series against South Africa. Nathan Coulter-Nile hasn’t been picked citing injury issues even as the cricketer along with Agar has lamented poor communication over the matter. There is a lot of pressure on the home side ranked sixth in the ICC ODI ranking with 100 points to their name. They are coming off a series loss at the hands of South Africa at home and will be looking to make amends now.

Confident India look to close in on No. 1 position

Team India, on the other hand, are in the best possible space even after such a long tour so far. They have lost only a couple of matches on the tour after T20I and Test series. Australia tour was never relaxing for the visiting teams before and Virat Kohli-led India will be keen on winning the ODI series as well. They are at the second position in the ICC rankings at the moment and are only five points behind top-ranked England.

With a series win here, they will be eager to close in on England ahead of the World Cup. Losing even a single game could cost them the points though and to gain in the rankings, the Men in Blue will have to whitewash Australia at any cost.

Here’s how the series result will affect the ICC Rankings:

1. India 3 – 0 Australia: If the visitors manage to blank the Australians, then they will gain one point and end the series at 122 points while Australia will lose two rating points to come down to 98 points. Both the teams will retain their second and sixth place respectively.

2. India 2 – 1 Australia: Australia will neither gain nor lose if they win even one ODI despite losing the series. However, India will lose a point and come down to 120 points.

3. India 1 – 2 Australia: Australia will eclipse Pakistan fractionally to climb to the fifth position if they go past India in the series by 2-1. Virat Kohli and Co, in that case, will still stay at the second place with 119 points.

4. Australia 3 – 0 India: If Australia whitewashes India, then they will gain four points and also grab the fifth place with 104 points. The gulf between India and England will increase though as the former will lose four points.

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