Sri Lanka help India regain 2nd spot in ODI rankings

Dubai: India got back to second place in the ICC ODI team rankings, thanks to Sri Lanka`s two consecutive wins against South Africa in the just concluded five-match series.

India had lost second place to the Proteas after they won the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka, however, the reversal in the fourth and fifth match helped India regain its position. Virat Kohli remains India`s highest ranked ODI player at number three while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is at number five. South Africa`s Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, meanwhile, continue to lead the batting chart. Outside the top 10, South Africa`s Graeme Smith is one of the biggest movers, returning to the top 20 in 17th position after gaining five places following his series contribution of 229 runs, including 125 in Johannesburg, yesterday. Also heading in the right direction are Sri Lanka`s Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal. Tharanga has gained eight places and is now in 35th spot while Chandimal is in 65th position after rising 35 places. No Indian bowler figures in the top-10 list. South Africa`s Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who claimed 11 wickets at just under 19 runs per wicket and played a key role in his side`s 3-2 series win over Sri Lanka, has been rewarded with a jump of 10 places and puts him in third spot behind Pakistan`s spin pair of Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez. Tsotsobe leapfrogged team-mates Morne Morkel, who has dropped one place to seventh spot, and Dale Steyn, who has slipped to 15th position after conceding five places. Sri Lanka`s Lasith Malinga, who was joint highest wicket-taker along with Tsotsobe, has returned to the top 10 with a gain of one place to be placed at number 10. PTI