India have retained their position at the top of the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings following the annual update, but their lead over New Zealand has reduced from eight to five points.
Following the update, India have slipped from 119 to 118 rating points even as New Zealand gained two points to move up to 113. The reigning ODI World Cup champions Australia remain third with an unchanged rating of 109.
The only change in the top 10 sees South Africa move ahead of Pakistan into fourth place. South Africa now sit on 102 points, while Pakistan have dropped to fifth with 98 points. The update also widened the gap between ninth-placed Bangladesh and the West Indies, with the two sides now separated by 10 rating points.
Further down the table, Ireland have leapfrogged Zimbabwe to claim 11th position, the United States have moved above Scotland into 13th place, and the United Arab Emirates are now ranked ahead of Canada in 19th.
The annual update reflects results over a rolling period and continues to underline India’s consistency in the 50-over format. The Rohit Sharma-led side have been among the most dominant ODI teams in recent years and continue to hold a comfortable advantage at the top despite the slight reduction in their rating points.
India’s hold on the No. 1 ranking comes at a time when the team is preparing for a new ODI cycle leading up to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. The upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan is expected to serve as the starting point of those preparations.
However, India have already suffered significant setbacks ahead of the series. After Virat Kohli was ruled out, all-rounder Hardik Pandya has also been sidelined due to injury. Sources told India Today that Pandya is recovering from a quadriceps injury and is expected to need around three weeks to regain full fitness.
The injury dates back to IPL 2026, where Pandya was leading Mumbai Indians. The all-rounder featured in only 10 matches before missing the latter stages of the tournament due to fitness concerns.
The ODI series against Afghanistan begins in Dharamsala on June 14, before moving to Lucknow on June 17 and Chennai on June 20. With senior players unavailable, the series could provide opportunities for several younger players to stake their claim in India’s ODI setup.
India’s updated ODI squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.
India’s dominance is not restricted to the ODI format. They also occupy the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings following the annual update carried out last week. Australia, meanwhile, lead the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings and are also ranked No. 1 in both the Women’s ODI and Women’s T20I standings.
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