India can reclaim No 1 spot in ODIs
What's the story
India are already the top ranked nation in Test cricket and now, they have the opportunity to top the charts in the ODI rankings when they take the field against Sri Lanka in the first ODI at Dharamshala on Sunday.
The men in blue are currently on 2nd position with 6,379 points while leaders South Africa have 6,386 points.
Whitewash
India eye series whitewash
Considering Sri Lanka have lost their last 12 ODIs, India will be heading into the series with one aim in mind, a 3-0 whitewash and overtaking the Proteas as the number 1 ODI team in the world.
While a win on Sunday would be enough to become the number 1 team, a whitewash is necessary to make the top spot our own.
09 Dec 2017
India can't afford to slip
With a victory on Sunday, India will reach 121 rating-points but will have to win consecutive games in Mohali and Visakhapatnam to seal the spot, as a single loss in the series will bring India down to 119 rating-points.
This is because Sri Lanka is placed at 8th with 83 points and the ranking system is weighted to reflect the difference between oppositions.
Ranking system
How does the ODI ranking system work?
ODI ranking is based on a mathematical algorithm where each team's points are calculated after every ODI played.
The two teams involved are given a rating which is then divided by the number of matches played.
It is similar to calculating batting average, but with points instead of total number of runs scored divided by number of matches instead of number of times dismissed.