India are looking to upstage South Africa at the top of the ICC ODI team rankings by targeting a 3-0 series win against Sri Lanka which starts on Sunday at Himachal Pradesh Stadium, Dharamsala, in a day/night clash.
India, who are top-ranked in Test cricket, are on 120 points in the ODI rankings, only one point behind South Africa and will go ahead if they win the first match in Dharamsala.
India will reach 121 points and edge South Africa on decimal points if they take a 1-0 lead in the series but will have to also win the following two matches in Mohali and Visakakhapatnam on December 13 and 17 if they want to keep the lead.
Sri Lanka are eighth on the table with 83 points and the rankings system is weighted to reflect the difference in ranking points.
India will slip to 119 points even with a 2-1 win in the ODI series, which follows a three-Test series between the two sides, which India won 1-0.
On the other hand, eighth-ranked Sri Lanka will remain on 83 points even with a 3-0 loss but can go up to 87 points with a 3-0 series win.
