India are sitting atop the ICC team rankings table with 120 ratings points, and enter the series leading eighth-ranked New Zealand by 36 ratings points.
If India lose the series, starting Sunday in Napier, they will lose their numero uno status and as many as six ratings points.
India have been the number-one ranked ODI side since January 2013, when it replaced England at the top.
For New Zealand, a series win against India by any margin will mean that it will push up a place to seventh, ahead of West Indies. A series loss for New Zealand, however, will not make any difference to its position on the rankings table.
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Australia and England are currently playing a five-match series, with the home team leading 1-0.
Australia are currently in second position, six points behind India. For Australia to reclaim the number-one rank, they needs to beat England in its ongoing series by a margin of 3-2 or better, and they also require New Zealand to beat India by a margin of 3-2 or better.
On the other hand, England, who sit 10 points behind India in third spot, need to beat Australia by a margin of 4-1 or better, and also for New Zealand to win its series against India by a margin of 4-1 or better, to become the number-one ODI side again.