AGENCY
DUBAI: India will lose their second position in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Team Rankings if they suffer a 0-2 defeat against two-time World champions West Indies in the two-match series in Florida, USA on August 27 and 28.
India are currently placed on 128 points, four points behind table leader New Zealand, while third-ranked West Indies is on 122 points. Led by new captain Carlos Brathwaite, who had smashed four consecutive sixes in the ICC World Twenty20 final against England in Kolkata, the West Indies can move to second place on 127 points with a 2-0 win and push India to third place on 124 points. However, a 2-0 win for India, captain by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will help it join number-one ranked New Zealand on 132 points but the Asian side will be ranked second when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. In this scenario, the West Indies will slip to fourth position with 118 points, one point behind South Africa.
A 1-1 series draw will keep India ahead on 128 points with West Indies on 123 points.
The individual performances in the series will also be keenly watched with a player from either side leading the player rankings for batsmen and bowlers. India’s Test captain Virat Kohli heads the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for T20I Batsmen with 837 points. With Australia’s Aaron Finch only 34 points behind, Kohli will be looking to consolidate his position at the top. Rohit Sharma is the next-highest ranked India batsman in 23rd position, while Dhoni, who had led India to victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 title in 2007, is in 50th position but the likelihood of getting more batting opportunities could see him rise in the ranks.
For the West Indies, big-hitting opener Chris Gayle (eighth) and experienced batsman Marlon Samuels (17th) will be looking to move up the ranks with Lendl Simmons (31st), Dwayne Bravo (37th) and Andre Fletcher (48th) also trying to climb the ladder.
The West Indies has two slow bowlers up in the table as top-ranked leg-spinner Samuel Badree and fourth-ranked off-spinner Sunil Narine will be out to garner points with medium-pacer Dwayne Bravo (39th) the next best on the list.
For India, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is in second position in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for T20I Bowlers after a creditable show in Zimbabwe a few months ago when India won the T20I series 2-1. Ravichandran Ashwin is the other India bowler inside the top 10 in seventh position, while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is in 19th spot.
Marlon Samuels is the best-ranked all-rounder from either side at fifth position.
