India go into the five-match series in Sri Lanka with a chance to leap from their current fourth place to number one in the ICC One-day International team rankings.

India last held the number one position briefly in September 2009 but if they achieve a clean sweep against their hosts now, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side will unseat current table-toppers Australia.

The series, which starts in Hambantota Saturday, brings together the finalists of the 2011 World Cup, held in Mumbai last year. India won that match by six wickets to lift the trophy for the first time in 28 years.

After years of domination by Australia, the ranking table is now extremely tight after Michael Clarke’s team suffered a 0-4 defeat in England recently. Only two rating points separate the top four teams with South Africa and England sandwiched between Australia and fourth placed India.

The Sri Lanka versus India series again utilises the three grounds which are a legacy of the last World Cup. The first two ODIs are in Hambantota, followed by two at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and the final match in Pallekele August 4.

Rankings

Rank Team Rating

1 Australia 119

2 South Africa 118

3 England 118

4 India 117

5 Sri Lanka 112

6 Pakistan 103

7 West Indies 87

8 New Zealand 83

9 Bangladesh 67

10 Zimbabwe 46

11 Ireland 36

12 Netherlands 15

13 Kenya

A day after Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi made his first public statement that he was ready to pay bigger role in either in party or government, the Congress has suggested that he could play a key role in both party and government.

In support of this contention, Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi cited instances of ministers also holding party responsibilities. We have number of party colleagues who are both ministers as well as general secretary and in-charge of states. The option is open. It can be either government or party or even both, Dwivedi said.

Welcoming any move to give greater responsibility to Gandhi, Janardan Dwivedi said, whatever decision is to be taken, only three people know, and the party cannot say anything on this. Earlier Sonia Gandhi said that it was Rahul Gandhi to decide for himself on playing a larger role in the party.

New facts are coming to light in the cash-for-bail scam involving Karnataka former minister Gali Janardana Reddy.According to the confessional statement of suspended district judge Lakshmi Narasimha Rao, Gali Janardana Reddy’s men were in fact ready to spend even Rs 100 crores as against Rs 10 or Rs 20 crores as was reported earlier. He told the ACB authorities that Janardana Reddy’s relative Dasaratharami Reddy offered him Rs 100 crores and this was the reason why he had started making trials.

According to the information, Gali’s men have requested him to bring their leader out of jail at any cost. It is learnt that the proposal was placed before CBI judge Naga Maruti Sarma through judge Lakshmi Narasimha Rao initially. However, Naga Maruti Sarma rejected the proposal outright.

According to information, then Gali’s men held discussions with mediator Ravi Surya Prakasha Rao. After Naga Maruti Sarma’s transfer and when Judge Pattabhi Rama Rao settled in his place, Judge Prabhakara Rao was sent to clinch a deal with him on the Gali bail issue. However, Pattabhi Rama Rao rejected the deal. However, he agreed to the proposal when it was brought to him through retired judge and his childhood friend Chalapati Rao.

Meanwhile, the ACB authorities raided the house of Lakshmi Narasimha Rao and seized cheques worth Rs 82 lakhs. They have also obtained a confessional statement from him on July 11.

Meanwhile, arguments on the ACB’s petition for custody of Lakshmi Narasimha Rao and Surya Prakash concluded on Friday. The court has posted its decision to Saturday.

There appears to be a deep crisis in the UPA government even before its trouble-shooter Pranab Mukherjee was declared elected as the President of the country.

After Pranab Mukherjee left the cabinet, the Congress has chosen to give the number 2 position of his to Defence Minister A K Antony, causing dismay to the NCPI leader Sharad Pawar. It is learnt that pained by the decision, both Pawar and his associate Praful Patel have sent in their resignations to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.That the crisis started brewing on the very day when Rahul Gandhi, son of Sonia Gandhi announced his was readiness to take up greater responsibilities in the government, had added another dimension to the crisis.

Sharad Pawar was one of the two persons who had stoutly opposed Sonia Gandhi when Congress sought to make her the Prime Minister after Rajeev Gandhi’s death, on the ground of her nationality. The other leader was P A Sangma, who has contested as President against Pranab Mukherjee.

Though Sharad Pawar had opposed Sonia Gandhi, he veered round later and started playing a key role in the UPA politics. When Congress (or Sonia) chose the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee for the post of the President of India, he has instantly consented. He has also asked his colleague Sangma to withdraw from contest and when he refused, snapped ties with him. Sharad Pawar has also consented to support Dr. Hamid Ansari for the post of the Vice President, without any reservations.

It is a known fact that Sharad Pawar has aspired for the Prime Minister’s post as he was qualified enough to hold it. But even when he knew that it was not going to be possible for him to become the Prime Minister, he has been adopting an amicable attitude towards Congress and its supremo Sonia Gandhi.

When Pranab Mukherjee resigned to the post of Finance Minister and there by his Number 2 position in the cabinet, Sharad Pawar has naturally aspired for it. In the cabinet meeting held immediately after the resignation of Pranab, Sharad was seated next to the Prime Minister. His name figured as Number 2 in the website of the Prime Minister’s office. Defence Minister A K Antony was away touring his home state Kerala when that meeting took place.

However, when the Cabinet met again on the 12th of this month, A K Antony was shown the number 2 position and Sharad Pawar was shown the eighth seat in the cabinet hierarchy. Changes were also made in the PMO’s website suitably.

Now as Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he would play a key role in the administration, every one is aware that he would get the Number 1 slot – the Prime Minister’s post after 2014 elections. Till then, he might occupy a key role.Sharad Pawar has possibly understood that he would not be offered any key role in the government even in the changed circumstances and equations.

Pawar has been unhappy since quite some time as the Congress leadership chose to reject his recommendations for some Gubernatorial appointments. Pawar has also been unhappy with some Congress leaders including minister Jai Ram Ramesh who have been critical about the style of functioning of Pawar as the Agriculture Minister.

TDP Supremo Chandrababu Naidu is worried man as five of his MLAs had defied the party’s diktat of abstaining from the Presidential poll and participated in the voting. It is learnt that all the five defiant MLAs had voted for the UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee, whom the party opposed vehemently.

Though it is not a surprise that these – MLAs Kodali Nani, Bala Nagi Reddy, Hariswar Reddy, Samudrala Venugopalachary and Chinnam Rama Kotaiah have been distancing themselves since quite some time, Naidu had not expected this brazen defiance of his authority. He is now worried on knowing that four of these MLAs were planning to join the YSR Congress, while Chinnam Rama Kotaiah, the fifth has planned to join the Congress.

Chinnam has initially tried to join the YSR Congress party. However, when the party could not assure him the Nuzvid seat from where he won in 2009 as TDP candidate, he has decided to join the Congress, after getting assured of the ticket. He has earlier declared to the shock of Naidu that he would not contest from Nuzvid as TDP candidate even if the ticket was offered to him, as there was no chance of winning. Bala Nagi Reddy has been critical of the TDP leadership and the party has already asked the speaker to take action on him.

Bala Nagi Reddy has been maintaining close relations with the YSR Congress party. Hariswar Reddy and Venugopalachary have been sailing with Telangana Nagara Samiti leader Nagam Janardana Reddy, protesting against the attitude of Naidu on the Telangana issue. However TDP leadership has not so far taken any firm decision to discipline these two. Now that they have openly defied Naidu’s authority, it has become imperative for him take some firm action to curtail indiscipline spreading to other ranks of the party. Though the party could not issue any whip with regard to the presidential poll as it was apolitical and could not hence take disciplinary action on that count, it may take action on some other count at the earliest say sources.