The Proteas' outstanding form over past 12 months earned them the ultimate reward in limited-overs cricket.
Second place up for grabs in official ODI ratings.
India will aim to achieve the number one position in the ICC ODI championship table for the first time ever when they square off against Pakistan in a three-match series, commencing in Chennai on December 30.
India bowled out Sri Lanka for 171 in 48.2 overs, and then chased down the target with 12 overs to spare.
Though India and Pakistan have 108 points, the latter take fifth spot with a decimal points difference.
India are placed sixth, and it could get even worse for Rahul Dravid's team if the West Indies puts in a good performance in the five-match ODI series against Pakistan.
India maintained its number one spot in the ICC ODI Championship table while Virat Kohli retained his number three position among batsmen in the latest rankings issued on Monday.
With the limited-overs' cricket season set to start, all eight leading One-day sides are eyeing the ICC ODI Championship table. The battle for the coveted No 1 position remains tight, with World champions India in third position, just one rating point behind South Africa.
Team India took an outright lead on top of the one-day table following England's 2-1 victory in the three-match series against New Zealand, which saw them lose two ratings points in the latest ICC ODI Championship ranking in Dubai.
India retained the top spot in the latest ICC ODI Championship table released in Dubai, while Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina slipped in the Twenty20 batting charts.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will have to inflict a 5-0 whitewash on England to regain its numero uno status on the ICC ODI Championship table.
India's five-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in an Asia Cup match in Mirpur helped South Africa secure the second position in the ICC ODI Championship table at the April 1 cut-off date.
Even as the cut-off date for announcing the best team draws closer, the battle for the number two spot in the ICC ODI Championship gets interesting with India, South Africa and Sri Lanka emerging as contenders.
The Sri Lankan cricket team has a good opportunity to move ahead of India into the second place in the ICC ODI Championship table if they succeed in claiming the upcoming five-match ODI series against England comprehensively.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has regained the number-one batting position while his side has returned to second spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship after its two matches in the Asia Cup in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.
India remain the No 2 ODI team in the world after their four-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in Wednesday's Tri-series final in Bangladesh.
After beating England comprehensively in the first two matches of the seven-ODI series, India moved up two places from fifth to third position in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table. England slipped from third to sixth position.
Fresh after claiming the number-one Test spot, India aims to narrow the gap with front-runner Australia in the ICC ODI Championship when it goes head to head with Sri Lanka in the five-match One-Day International series, starting in Rajkot on Tuesday. India currently sits in second place on 122 ratings points, eight behind Australia, but can reduce the gap to four ratings points if it manages to win all five matches of the series.
South Africa's success in winning seven out of nine ODIs against Australia this year has consigned Ricky Ponting's side to its lowest ranking in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship. The four-time World champions are now third in the listing, behind not only the Proteas but also India, which benefitted from Australia's loss in form to rise to second spot.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side will go top of the ODI rankings if it wins the upcoming series 4-3 or better. But it can drop below South Africa if it loses 6-1 or 7-0; Australia needs to win series to retain top position.
India has a chance to claim the number one spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship when it turns out for the tri-nation series involving host Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Despite their 3-2 series-win against Sri Lanka, India has dropped to fifth place in the ICC ODI Championship table.
Currently the number one ODI side, South Africa will hope to maintain status quo while Australia would be seeking a coup when the sides cross sword in the five-match ODI series starting in Durban later this week.
India can move into third place in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship if it remains unbeaten in the tri-nation series involving Pakistan and host Bangladesh, starting in Dhaka on Sunday. Currently on the same ratings points as New Zealand (113) but behind the Black Caps when ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, India can take a two-point lead over Daniel Vettori's side if it wins the two league matches and then the final on June 14.
South Africa swapped places with Australia and ensured that it will hold the top spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship table at the April 1 cut-off after convincingly wrapping up the series 3-0 against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday. South Africa gained 0.720 points from the series victory and although it stayed on 127 ratings points along with Australia, this fraction of a point was enough to put it ahead of Ricky Ponting's side by 0.191 of a point.
South Africa has the opportunity to dethrone Australia and secure the top spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship Table at the April 1 cut-off if it sweeps the three-match series against Bangladesh starting in Chittagong on Sunday. Australia and South Africa are currently both sitting on 127 ratings points but Graeme Smith's side is behind Ricky Ponting's side by just 0.529 of a point when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
The 3-2 series victory over Pakistan helped India jump one spot to fourth position in the LG ICC ODI Championship table.
India can jump two places to fourth in the LG ICC ODI Championship if it completes a clean sweep of ODI victories over Ireland, South Africa and Pakistan over the next two weeks or so.
India leapfrogged New Zealand into fourth place in the annual update of the ICC ODI championship table.
The ICC also decided to introduce a formal pitch-monitoring process for international cricket.
They jumped a rung to fourth in the latest update after their win over England in the ongoing Champions Trophy.
India can put pressure on Australia and South Africa at the top of the ICC ODI Championship with a good showing in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni slips down to eighth position in the ICC ODI Player rankings after a poor showing in the DLF Cup tri-series.
The gap may further reduce if third-placed India beat them on Friday.
India moved up a rung to swap places with Pakistan, who lost the last two matches in the series against England.
Irfan Pathan is the highest ranked Indian bowler, at eight, in the ICC ODI rankings.
The Australian cricket team received $US 500,000 for being this year's top side in the LG ICC Test Championship and LG ICC ODI Championship.
England were confirmed as qualifiers for the second stage of October's ICC Champions Trophy in India.
India drew continental rivals Sri Lanka and Bangladesh besides a qualifier in their pool in the 2007 World Cup.
The appointment of women's head coach W V Raman in controversial circumstances will be reviewed by BCCI Ombudsman and Ethics Officer D K Jain.
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