India vs Australia 2017: Virat Kohli, Steve Smith's teams to battle for top spot in ICC ODI rankings

New Delhi: The Virat Kohli-led Team India will host Steve Smith's Australian team for a five-match limited overs series starting Sunday.

Both India and Australia will have an opportunity to displace South Africa as the world number one team in the ICC ODI rankings, if they finish with a 4-1 or even a better result in their upcoming series beginning September 17. 

The Men in Blue are currently placed at the third spot behind Australia, with the difference being of only a few decimal points. 

India and Australia both have 117 points at present, and follow the top-ranked South Africa, who have 119 points. 

A win by a margin of 4-1 to either of India or Australia will give them 120 points, enabling them to displace South Africa from the pinnacle of the ODI Rankings.

If either of India or Australia manage to achieve a 5-0 result, they will land up at the top spot with 122 rating points. If India beat Australia 5-0, the visitors would be left with 113 rating points but would still remain ahead of the fourth-placed England.

However, if Australia manage to register a clean sweep over India, the Virat Kohli-led team would be left with 112 rating points.

India will move up in the ICC cricket Rankings even if they beat Australia by a margin of 3-2, as they will have 118 points compared to the visitors' 116. For Australia, the equation will remain same in case of a win but there will be no change in their position in the table.

Here are all the possibilities:

If India beat Australia 5-0 - India 122, Australia 113

If India beat Australia 4-1 - India 120, Australia 114

If India beat Australia 3-2 - India 118, Australia 116

If Australia beat India 3-2 - Australia 118, India 116

If Australia beat India 4-1- Australia 120, India 114

If Australia beat India 5-0 - Australia 122, India 112

The first match of the series will be played in Chennai, followed by second ODI in Kolkata on September 21. The third ODI is slated to be played in Indore on September 24, followed by fourth and fifth ODIs in Bengaluru and Nagpur on September 28 and October 1, respectively.

India and Australia will then play a three-match T20I series, which begins October 7 in Ranchi. The second T20I will be played in Guwahati on October 10 and the tour concludes with the final game on October 13 in Hyderabad.