‘No. 1 ranking reflects our on-field conduct’

June 04, 2013 01:40 am | Updated November 16, 2021 10:26 pm IST - Cardiff

Numero uno: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni receiving ICC ODI Shield from former ICC president David Morgan.

Numero uno: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni receiving ICC ODI Shield from former ICC president David Morgan.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday said that the No.1 ranking in the ODIs brings with it certain respect in the way the players “conduct themselves” on the field.

“Being No. 1 in the world brings with it a certain respect for the game itself and for the way in which we play the game and conduct ourselves on the field,” Dhoni said after winning the ICC ODI Shield. In a simple ceremony here, former ICC president David Morgan presented Dhoni a silver salver and a cheque for $175,000.

“I am very proud of this huge achievement, as being No. 1 is a reward for all of us, but hopefully it is just the beginning.

“You have to be consistent to be ranked No.1 and I think we have reached that level of consistency over a period of time. We have performed very well and I am very proud of what the guys have achieved,” said Dhoni. This is the first time since the current ranking system was introduced in 2002 that India has finished as the No.1 ranked ODI side on April 1 cut-off date.

India had claimed the spot from England after winning the series 3-2 in January, and, in the 12-month period between April 1, 2012 and April 1, 2013, India won eight out of 13 ODIs while losing five ODIs.

Morgan said, “This ODI Shield is recognition of excellence. This is the first time that India has been the top ODI side at the 1 April cut-off date. I want to congratulate India for its dedication and for the ability to entertain us all. I wish the team all the best for the coming year. The importance of the Reliance ICC ODI Shield should be celebrated as this is the ICC Cricket World Cup format. To finish as the No.1 ranked ODI side in addition to being the defending champion of ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, is a wonderful achievement,” he said.

“India will no doubt, therefore, enter the ICC Champions Trophy as one of the sides to watch out for. There could not have been a better fillip for India as it heads into the tournament featuring the eight best ODI sides. I’m sure that Mahendra and his team will be looking forward to maintaining their rank at the top of this format.” — PTI

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.