Dubai | India dropped to third position behind Pakistan and three points adrift off world number one Australia in the latest ICC ODI men's Team rankings announced on Thursday.

Five-time world champions Australia improved their rating from 113 to 118 following the annual update, maintaining a slender lead over Pakistan (116 points) and India (115 points).

According to the ICC release, "Prior to the annual rankings update, Australia were at the top with 113 points with India behind them on decimal count.

"Pakistan were ranked third, with 112 points and briefly went to the top of the charts after their victory in the fourth ODI against New Zealand this month.” Pakistan could have stayed at the top position had they managed to complete a 5-0 clean sweep against New Zealand.

With only three rating points now separating the top three teams, an interesting battle at the top of the rankings is imminent in the year of the World Cup.

The ICC's annual rankings considered all ODI series completed since May 2020 "with series completed before May 2022 weighted at 50 percent and all subsequent series weighted at 100 percent".

"This means that Pakistan have now pipped India in the second spot, with their 4-0 away series defeat in England no longer being counted. Their 3-0 series loss in England in 2021 also has a reduced weightage, helping them leapfrog India in the charts," the ICC said.

India have been heavily impacted by their 2-1 series loss at home against Australia this year.

Among other teams, New Zealand are placed fourth with 104 points followed by England, who have ‘witnessed a massive 10-point drop in their rating' are at fifth with 101 points.

While Afghanistan made a big jump to move to the eighth spot and get ahead of Sri Lanka (ninth) and the West Indies (tenth), South Africa were ranked sixth and Bangladesh seventh.