India reclaim ODI crown, Aussies slip

India have returned to the summit of the International Cricket Council's one-day international team rankings, while Australia have slipped to third after the hosts cruised to victory in the fifth ODI.

Virat Kohli's side sealed a 4-1 series triumph over a lacklustre Australian outfit with a seven-wicket win in the final game of the five-match series in Nagpur on Sunday.

The result sees India topple South Africa at the top of the ICC charts, while Australia have fallen to third spot after losing three ranking points.

India had technically risen to No.1 after winning the third ODI of the series in Indore last week but then squandered top spot a game later when they lost in Bengaluru. The ICC only officially updates the rankings at the conclusion of series or major tournament. 

Australia, the reigning ODI world champions, had begun 2017 at the top of the charts but a series defeat to New Zealand in February cost them dearly.

The Proteas took the ODI crown from the Aussies when they defeated Sri Lanka 5-0 in a series whitewash during a streak of 12 consecutive wins, and Faf du Plessis' team were on 119 points going into this India-Australia series.

India are now the top-ranked Test and ODI side in the world and if they manage to win all three matches in the upcoming T20 International series against Australia, they'll rise to second spot on the rankings in the shortest format.

Australia would have had to win the India series 4-1 or better to take back top spot on the ODI rankings.

The ICC charts play an important role in determining qualification for the 2019 ODI World Cup, with only the top-eight ranked sides granted automatic entry to the showpiece event to be held in the United Kingdom.

Ninth-ranked West Indies will be forced to play in a separate tournament next year against the likes of Ireland, Afghanistan, the Netherlands and Papua New Guinea to secure qualification for the next World Cup.

ICC ODI TEAM RANKINGS:

1. India (120 points)

2. South Africa (119)

3. Australia (114)

4. England (114)

5. New Zealand (111)

6. Pakistan (95)

7. Bangladesh (94)

8. Sri Lanka (86)

9. West Indies (77)

10. Afghanistan (54)

11. Zimbabwe (52)

12. Ireland (41)

Australia's Qantas Tour of India

Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

Australia T20 squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa.

India squad (first three ODIs): Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

ODI Fixtures

September 17: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

September 21: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

September 24: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

September 28: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

October 1: VCA Stadium, Nagpur

T20 Fixtures

October 1: JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi

October 10: Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati

October 13: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad