India captain Virat Kohli continued to be at the top of One-Day International batsmen’s rankings, released by the International Cricketing Council on Friday.

With 873 points in his kitty, Kohli has a chance to widen his 12-point lead over the second-placed David Warner of Australia during the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting in Dambulla on Sunday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (12th), Shikhar Dhawan (13th) and newly-appointed India vice-captain Rohit Sharma (14th) are the other Indians who are in the top-15.

Among the top-ranked ODI bowlers, there is no Indian bowler featuring in the top-10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (13th) is the lone Indian in the top-15.

Team ranking: Cue for direct World Cup qualification

In the team rankings, India are currently placed at No 3 in ODIs. They need win to the upcoming series against Sri Lanka by at least a 4-1 margin to ensure that they retain this position, ahead of England in fourth.

India currently have 114 points and even if they win the series against Sri Lanka by a 3-2 margin, they will drop a point and fall behind England on decimal points. On the other hand, there’s a lot more at stake for Sri Lanka through the five-match ODI series to be played.

If Sri Lanka finish the series by winning at least two matches, they will secure a direct qualification spot for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, bypassing West Indies.

The cut-off date for direct qualification is September 30. As per the current team standings, Sri Lanka are placed eighth with 88 points, 10 points more than the ninth-ranked West Indies side. The two-time former World Cup champions are set to play a one-off ODI against Ireland and a five-match ODI series against England in September.

Going by the permutations, winning two matches will take Sri Lanka to 90 points. The West Indies will at best reach 88 points even if they win all six of their matches, against Ireland and England respectively.

However, a series win for India by a 4-1 margin will see Sri Lanka finish at 88 points and the Caribbean side could edge it on decimal points provided they win all six of their match-ups.

The West Indies side will go out of contention for a direct ICC World Cup berth if they lose to Ireland, as from there they will at best reach 86 points and remain behind Sri Lanka on decimal points, even if India complete a 5-0 series whitewash over their sub-continental rivals.

According to the stipulations, the last four teams in the ODI rankings are required to play a qualifying event. This tournament will also feature the top-four teams of the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the top-two teams of the ICC World Cricket League.

The top two teams from the qualifying tournament will clinch spots in the 2019 World Cup.