The Indian cricket team is set to face Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series, starting Friday at the Harare Sports Club, and to maintain second spot in the ICC ODI rankings they need to win the series 3-0.
Team India led by Ajinkya Rahane are favorites to clinch the series, despite the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) deciding to rest senior players and field a second string squad against the minnows.
India are currently second with 115 rating points in the ICC ODI rankings and if they manage a cleansweap they would maintain the spot.
However, if they lose even a single game they would drop two points, meaning just a point separating them from third placed New Zealand and South Africa, which have 112 rating points each.
In case Team India surrenders the series, they would lose four points, dropping them to fourth place in the ICC ODI rankings behind New Zealand and South Africa.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are no pushovers and their recent performances, particularly in the World Cup, showed they would be a tough competition for a young Indian cricket team.
If, in case, Zimbabwe manage to cleansweap India, they would overleap Ireland to tenth place, while the visitors would slip to fifth in the points table.
The ICC ODI team rankings:
1 Australia 129
2 India 115
3 New Zealand 112
4 South Africa 112
5 Sri Lanka 106
6 England 98
7 Bangladesh 93
8 West Indies 88
9 Pakistan 87
10 Ireland 50
11 Zimbabwe 44
12 Afghanistan 41
