'India has a genius called Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the team. He is the brain of cricket in the team. He understands the game so well and has experience of leading India in two WC wins. His experience will be vital for captain and coach and he can be their trump card'
India created history on Friday by taking over as the number one team in the ICC ODI rankings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys outclassed New Zealand by six wickets in the second match of the tri-series in Colombo, on Friday, which also ensured that they toppled South Africa from the top of the rankings
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.
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.
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 has informed the BCCI, that he wishes to step down as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team from the One Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals formats of the game, a press release from the BCCI stated. He will be available for the selection for the ODI and T20 series against England and the same has been conveyed to the Senior Selection Committee.
Reigning champion India will be bidding to gain further momentum and become only the third side in World Cup history to successfully defend its title after West Indies in 1975 and 1979 and Australia, who won the coveted prize three times in succession between 1999 and 2007.
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.
Claire Taylor of England, India captain Jhulan Goswami and Australia's Lisa Sthalekar are on top of the world in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women's Rankings which were launched in Mumbai on Thursday. Thirty-three-year-old Taylor spearheads a strong field of six England batters in the top 20 while fast bowler Jhulan leads the bowlers' chart and Sthalekar is just ahead of her team-mate Shelley Nitschke in the all-rounders' listing.
Having pocketed the series 4-1, with a match still to go, India snatch ICC ODI top rank from Proteas
India's 68-run defeat to Sri Lanka on Sunday cost them their second place in the latest ICC ODI rankings as they were overtaken by Australia after the World champions pulled off a thrilling win over New Zealand. India lost two rating points to reduce to 120 while Australia (122) gained one point to their tally to overtake India.
Despite their 3-2 series-win against Sri Lanka, India has dropped to fifth place in the ICC ODI Championship table.
Sachin Tendulkar moved up a rung to 11th while dashing opener Virender Sehwag also broke into the top-20 in the latest ICC ODI Rankings in which India held on to the third position in the team chart.
Virat Kohli retained his second position to be the highest-placed Indian batsman, while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan also maintained their respective sixth and 10th spots in the laTest ICC ODI rankings issued in Dubai.
Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni extended his stay at the top of the ICC ODI Rankings for the batsmen, which has his flamboyant teammate Yuvraj Singh at the number six position.
After slumping to a humiliating defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said toss will play a vital role in Monday's final of the tri-nation series against the hosts in Colombo.
Riding on their powerful batting display in the tri-series in Bangladesh, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and his Pakistani counterpart Salman Butt on Sunday jumped identical seven places to break into the top-20 ICC ODI ranking for batsmen. Gambhir claimed the 20th spot while Salman, who was declared player of the tournament leapfrogged to 16th spot.
England has the opportunity to rise to as high as fourth in the ODI list if it sweeps the series against New Zealand, irrespective of how Saturday's tri-series final in Bangladesh, between India and Pakistan, pans out.
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.
India will look to win and seal their semi-finals berth.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have pipped Sachin Tendulkar to the ICC ODI Player of the Year award but Adam Gilchrist believes the Little Master is still the best batsman around.
'It feels great to know that I am the first Indian player to get this particular award and it's very special because now I am in the company of a lot of other good cricketers,' said an elated Mahendra Dhoni after winning ICC ODI Player of the Year award.
With the world's top one-day batsman -- Graeme Smith -- leading them, the South Africans are all set to "thump" India in the upcoming three-match Test series, declared Cricket South Africa chief Gerald Majola. Lauding the in-form Smith for guiding the team to the top of the ICC ODI rankings, Majola said the South Africans will be a tough proposition for the home side.
India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni can inch closer to the top spot of ICC batting rankings if he continues his good form of the Asia Cup in the five-match series against Sri Lanka starting on Monday. Dhoni, who was on top of the batting list for a week in April 2006, is 19 points adrift of table topper South African Graeme Smith in the latest ICC ODI batting list with 773 rating points.
Sachin Tendulkar rose a couple of spots to seventh in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
Indian One-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is within touching distance of regaining the top spot in the ICC ODI Player Rankings after his consistent show with the bat in the just-concluded Asia Cup helped him jump two spots in the chart.
England go into the 10-team tournament as the top side in the team rankings with 125 points and India in second position four points behind.
'The confidence and the momentum of that definitely helps. It just makes you raise your own bar of performance, you want to be a better player. My challenge to myself was to be a good player and now it's to become a great player. So it's just about lifting the bar and making a mind shift'
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.
India, Australia and Pakistan have been placed in the same group for the 2008 Champions trophy.
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.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis picked hosts England and 2011 champions India as the title favourites for this year's ICC ODI World Cup.
His cricketing brain, always sharp, was blessed with exceptional speed of information absorption and processing. He could quickly zero in on what needed to be done and use the element of surprise to overpower the opposition, observes Shreekant Sambrani.
Indian players failed to make a mark as Australians and South Africans swept the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Annual Awards with Steve Smith clinching the coveted trophies of Cricketer of the Year and the Test Cricketer of the Year.
Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds rocketed six spots to second place and is now just eight points behind his captain, Ricky Ponting, in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
India displace SA off perch to become No 1 team in ODIs
Off-spinner R Ashwin, who has been phenomenal in home conditions, has made it to the Test team as the 12th man, while pacer Mohammed Shami has been included in the ODI team.
Ponting also scooped the Captain of the Year award and was named captain of both ICC ODI and Test teams of the Year.
Zaheer Khan has jumped ten places to 27th position in the latest ODI Player Rankings.
Sachin Tendulkar benefited from an excellent series against South Africa and moved to No 21 in the LG ICC batting rankings.
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