India retained their reign in the ICC T20I rankings after beating Australia 2-1 in the three-match T20I series. Team India led by Rohit Sharma is now in the first position with 268 points, besides, India have taken a 7-run lead over second-placed England (261).
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India beat Australia in the three-match series to take a seven-point lead over second-placed England in the ICC T20I rankings. After the loss in the first match, the Indian team, captained by Rohit Sharma, leveled the series in Nagpur and won the third ODI and series in Hyderabad. As a result, India got one point advantage from this and now have 268 points while England is seven points behind them. India now have to play the series against South Africa which will give them a chance to cement their place at the top further.
Ironically, England lost the fourth T20 match against Pakistan on Sunday. This also led India to top the points table. Apart from India and England, South Africa and Pakistan have 258 points in this ranking. Due to this, both are ranked third and fourth respectively. On the other hand, the New Zealand team with 252 points and the Australian team with 250 points are in fifth and sixth place.
Although, England have a great chance of getting closer to India before the World Cup. The ongoing 7 match Test series against Pakistan is currently tied at 2-2. So the next three matches of the series are to be played in Lahore and the English team would like to get closer to India with the series win match against Pakistan in the same defeat.
Pakistan are currently tied with South Africa for the third place in the team rankings with 258 points but could move up to second place if they win the remaining three matches against England. On the other hand, England will retain the second place in the rankings if they win any of these matches. While South Africa will get a chance to stake their claim against India in the three-match series starting on Wednesday.
ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings:
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | India | 268 |
| 2. | England | 261 |
| 3. | South Africa | 258 |
| 4. | Pakistan | 258 |
| 5. | New Zealand | 252 |
| 6. | Australia | 250 |
| 7. | West Indies | 241 |
| 8. | Sri Lanka | 237 |
| 9. | Bangladesh | 224 |
| 10. | Afghanistan | 219 |
