ICC T20I Rankings: India eye No.2 spot, Jasprit Bumrah sets sight on No.1

After losing the ODI series to India, Australia will be looking to bounce back in the three-match T20I series that begins on Saturday (October 7). Going into the series, both Australia and India know that they can make giant strides towards the top of the ICC T20I Team Rankings. Indian captain Virat Kohli will be looking to hold onto the top spot in the batsmen's rankings while Jasprit Bumrah will be looking to claim the top spot among bowlers.

Ahead of the series, Virat Kohli is the current No.1 ranked T20I batsman, while Imad Wasim is the No.1 ranked T20I bowler. All of that could change by the conclusion of the series.

While the Indian captain has a sizeable gap, No.2 ranked Aaron Finch is quickly closing in on him, and Glenn Maxwell (currently No.5) will be looking to put the disappointing ODI series behind him and inch closer towards the top. The trio are the only batsmen from either side in the top 15 of the T20I batsmen rankings.

Jasprit Bumrah, who is currently ranked No.2, is only five points behind Imad Wasim, and a strong showing in the T20I series will certainly lift him to the pinnacle of the T20I bowlers' rankings. The only other bowlers in the top 20 from either side are James Faulkner (No.7) and Ravichandran Ashwin (No.11), neither of whom are in the T20I squad.

As far as the team rankings are concerned, both No.5 ranked India and No.7 ranked Australia can make rapid strides towards the top. While India can claim second spot, the highest Australia can go is No.3.

Here are the various permutations and combinations of where both teams will end up with by the end of the series (assuming all three matches produce a positive result):

India win the series 3-0

New Zealand are top of the T20I rankings with 125 points, and if India whitewash Australia, they will gain six points and move to 122 points, into second place and within three points of New Zealand.

The 3-0 series win will also ensure that they have a shot at being the No.1 side across all three formats when they take on New Zealand in a three-match T20I series that begins on November 1.

Should this happen, Australia will remain in seventh place, but will lose eight points and end the series with 102 points.

India win the series 2-1

If India fail to whitewash Australia and still win the series 2-1, they will remain at No.5, but will gain two points and will end the series with 118 points. They will crawl to within a point of England, at fourth place, and will only be two points behind World champions West Indies and three points behind No.2 ranked Pakistan.

If Australia manage to win just one of the two matches and lose the other one, they will continue to remain at No.7 but will lose two points and finish on 108.

Australia win the series 2-1

If the visitors manage to win two games and claim the series 2-1, they will climb two places to No.5 and will finish on 114 points. However, they will still be five points behind fourth-placed England heading into the Ashes.

Should India lose the series 2-1, they will be down to the sixth spot and will have 113 points, just a solitary point behind Australia.

Australia win the series 3-0

Despite their recent form, should Australia manage to whitewash India 3-0 and return the favour, they will climb up to the third spot. They will be on 120, gaining 10 points, while being just decimal points above West Indies, who will be fourth and just a solitary point behind No.2 ranked Pakistan.

If India are whitewashed, they will lose six points and go down to seventh place.