Bengaluru, June 24: With a thrilling 2-run victory in Harare on June 18, Zimbabwe have stopped India from becoming the number one side in the ICC T20I Rankings.
The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian side was stunned by Zimbabwe in the of the three-match Twenty20 International series on June 18.
On that day, India were chasing 171 for victory and needed 8 off 6 balls with captain Dhoni at the crease. Paceman Neville Madziva held his nerve to deny India those runs.
However, India bounced back in the next 2 contests to seal the series 2-1. The team returned home with twin series wins. They had won the ODI series 3-0.
In the latest T20I rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday (June 23), India are placed at 2nd position.
"Former ICC World Twenty20 champion India missed a chance to wrest back the top position on the ICC T20I Team Rankings despite defeating Zimbabwe by 2-1 in the three-match series in Harare on Wednesday," a media release from ICC said.
"India had started the series fraction of a point behind New Zealand and needed to win the series 3-0 to perch itself at the top of the table.
"However, after Zimbabwe pulled off a thrilling two-run victory in the opening match of the series on Saturday, India kissed good-bye to its chances of reclaiming the number-one position which it had surrendered to New Zealand following the annual update on 4 May.
"The 2-1 series win means India has finished on 128 points - four behind number-one ranked New Zealand and six ahead of reigning ICC World Twenty20 champion West Indies," it added.
"In contrast, Zimbabwe lifted from 58 points to 62 after gaining four points despite losing the series. This is because India had entered the series leading 12th ranked Zimbabwe by 66 points.
"And because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, India's failure to comfortably win the matches have resulted in it dropping points and Zimbabwe earning points," ICC said.
ICC T20I Team Rankings (as of June 23, after the India-Zimbabwe series)
(Read as Rank, Team, Points)
1. New Zealand 132
2. India 128
3. West Indies 122
4. South Africa 119
5. England 114
6. Australia 110
7. Pakistan 104
8. Sri Lanka 98
9. Afghanistan 78
10. Bangladesh 74
11. Netherlands 67
12. Zimbabwe 62
13. Scotland 57
14. United Arab Emirates 54
15. Ireland 48
16. Oman 37
17. Hong Kong 29
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