India Reclaim No. 1 Spot In T20Is After Only 15 Days

India cricket team - (Source: AFP)

On Sunday, July 26, the ICC updated their team rankings, and India have reclaimed the No.1 spot, dethroning England. The development has occurred a day after India won the T20I series against Zimbabwe on Saturday.

The Men in Blue are level with England in the ratings, but they are ranked 1st because they have more points than the Three Lions. India also have the chance to go past England on the ratings if they clean sweep Zimbabwe on Sunday.

India Top ICC Charts After Just 15 Days

Interestingly, India have reclaimed the top spot after 15 days. The Men in Blue lost their prestigious place after series defeat against England.

India came to Zimbabwe after an embarrassment in the UK. Notably, the Men in Blue lost 0-2 against Ireland and suffered a 0-4 defeat against England. Olympics Qualification Threat Loomed over India, but the Shreyas Iyer-led side bounced back with a brilliant show against Zimbabwe.

In the first T20I, India registered an emphatic 7-wicket win and also finished the game with 40 balls in hand. In the 2nd T20I, the Men in Blue again turned the match into a one-sided affair with a 90-run win over the Sikandar Raza-led side. Notably, India have now topped the ICC ranking charts in both T20Is and ODIs.

Why Are India Placed On Top Despite Same Rating With England?

Now, India are ranked No.1 in T20Is with a rating of 268, which is level with England, but India have 16088 points, while England have 10186 points, which is why the Three Lions are placed 2nd.

Difference Between Points and Ratings in ICC rankings

Total Points: The absolute sum of points earned by a team based on match results, opponent strength, and performance achievements over a designated evaluation period. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Rating: The derived average (analogous to a batting average) calculated by taking the total points and dividing them by the total number of weighted matches or series played. Teams and players are sorted and ordered on the table strictly by this final rating value.

Also Read: Ishan Kishan Reveals Plan To Protect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi From Social Media

India Almost Fix Their Olympics Spot

The ICC rankings is crucial in the coming months because Olympics qualification is on line. Cricet returns to the summer games in 2028 and top ranked teams from every continent will get an entry to the Olympics.

After India lost 7 matches in a trot, there were threats that India might not finish as the top-ranked T20I team in Asia. The only threat is Pakistan, who are placed 6th on the table with 240 ratings, way below India.

Further, Pakistan don't have many T20I series lined up and the last date to qualify for 2028 Olympics is December 31, 2026. Hence, India have already kept a foot in the qualification and Pakistan are most likely to not qualify.

Also Read: Ishan Kishan Shatters Virat Kohli's T20I Feat, Eyes Suryakumar Yadav's Historic Record