Currently languishing in sixth place, thanks to their World Cup flop show, the Indian team can move up to fourth in the ICC cricket rankings with a clean sweep in the forthcoming one-day internationals against Ireland, South Africa and Pakistan over the next fortnight.

Rahul Dravid’s side, which reached Belfast on Wednesday on an 80-day tour of the United Kingdom, will leapfrog Sri Lanka and Pakistan if it wins each of its five matches during the tour of Ireland and Scotland.

A clean slate would put the Indians on 111 rating points, just two behind New Zealand in third position and one ahead of Pakistan, who would drop to 110 rating points.

Any reversal, however, might see India drop below England to seventh position, which would be the lowest it has been in the ODI Championship since April 2005.

With just 14 rating points separating New Zealand in third position and the West Indies in eighth, there are opportunities coming up for several other teams to make their impression on the LG ICC ODI Championship.

The West Indies will overtake the English if they win 2-0 or 3-0. England, meanwhile, will have their sights set on sixth spot with a good showing there. England can rise further still as they are set to play seven one-dayers against India in August and September, according to an ICC statement.

Australia still top the log, six rating points clear of South Africa in second spot, but Jacques Kallis’ men can reduce that gap to four by beating Ireland once and India three times in Belfast.

If the Irish can pull off victories at home against India and South Africa, they will gain 14 rating points, putting real pressure on Bangladesh in ninth spot.

Individually, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in his first series as vice-captain, will want to keep up his recent run of fine form, and a good showing in the trip to Belfast and Glasgow would put him ahead of Mike Hussey and at third spot in the rankings for ODI batsmen.

There is also a chance for Kallis to get back into the top-10 while there will also be opportunities for the likes of Dravid, South Aricans Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers and West Indians Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle to make further advances in the top 20.

De Villiers is now ranked 18th, having been 77th just one year ago, so he will want to make sure that trend continues.