It was a historic day for Indian cricket as Team India took over as the number one team in the ICC ODI rankings following their six-wicket victory against New Zealand, in Colombo, on Friday.
India, who received two points for the victory, now have 128 points. It helped them overtake South Africa and take the top spot in the ODI rankings for the first time since they were introduced in October 2002.
However, India will need to ensure that they beat Sri Lanka in the last league match of the tri-series on Saturday to stay atop the rankings. Defeat will see them slip to second position, behind South Africa, with 125 points.
If India beat Sri Lanka on Saturday, they will maintain their top standing with 129 points, but they need to win the tri-series final on Monday to ensure they remain number one.
If India lose both the matches to Sri Lanka, and if Australia beats England in the fourth ODI, India will slip to third behind South Africa and Australia.
ICC ODI Championship (as of September 11, 2009):
| Position | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
| 1 | India | 27 | 3443 | 128 |
| 2 | South Africa | 18 | 2280 | 127 |
| 3 | Australia | 25 | 3103 | 124 |
| 4 | Pakistan | 21 | 2297 | 109 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 26 | 2760 | 106 |
| 6 | England | 22 | 2324 | 106 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 17 | 1781 | 105 |
| 8 | West Indies | 18 | 1397 | 78 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 23 | 1257 | 55 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 20 | 513 | 26 |
| 11 | Ireland | 6 | 152 | 25 |
| 12 | Kenya | 9 | 0 | 0 |
