Mahendra Singh Dhoni's return to form in the Bangladesh tour not only earned him the 'Man of the Series' award there but also pushed him one rung up to fourth in the latest LG ICC Players Rankings for ODI batsmen.

Thanks to the 2-0 win against Habibul Bashar's side, Team India, at sixth place, is now breathing down Sri Lanka's neck with just three rankings points separating them from the islanders.

• Rediff ODI rankings: Sri Lanka looked jaded

Among other Indian batsmen, skipper Rahul Dravid also improved his position by moving a step up to 15th.

There is, however, none from the Men in Blue in the bowlers' top 10 list.

Harbhajan Singh, though not good enough to make it to the Bangladesh tour, is the highest ranked Indian bowler at 13, a place he shares with English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and maverick Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga.

Pakistani players, like their Indian counterparts, also recovered a bit from their disastrous World Cup campaign and Shahid Afridi moved up to the seventh place in the all-rounders' list -- his highest ranking in this category.

The 27-year-old also moved into the top 20 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, following a stellar performance in the second ODI.

After the Sri Lanka series, fast bowler Mohammad Asif has moved up to 23rd place in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers. The dope-tainted pacer also briefly touched on a career-best 21st position.

The 2-1 series win for Pakistan also saw Shoaib Malik's side overtaking Sri Lanka into the fourth place of the ICC ODI Championship and is now just two ratings point behind New Zealand.