South Africa and India will vie for the world number one ranking again when they meet in a six-match one-day international series, starting at Kingsmead on Thursday.

The one-day games start just five days after India retained their top ranking in Tests, although second-placed South Africa closed the points gap by winning the series 2-1.

South Africa are on top of the International Cricket Council one-day rankings – one point ahead of India. With points adjusted after each game, the number one spot could change hands match to match.

However, the hosts will have to manage without AB de Villiers in the first three games. The star batsman is nursing a finger injury he picked up during the third Test. De Villiers needs two weeks to make a full recovery and is expected to be fit for the fourth ODI at the Wanderers.

South African coach Ottis Gibson’s main focus, however, is the long-term goal of winning the 2019 World Cup in England. South Africa picked a squad of 15 for the first three games and Gibson said there was a possibility other players could be considered for the last three.

“We’re the number one team at the moment but that doesn’t mean a lot leading up to a World Cup,” said Gibson.

“Winning isn’t the be-all and end-all at this stage. There is a fine line and we will try and ensure that whatever team we pick has an equal chance of winning but we have a goal and a vision leading up to the World Cup and we want to expose as many players as possible.”

Unlike the Tests, the one-day internationals could be dominated by batsmen, with six of the world’s top ten one-day batsmen in action on pitches which, unlike the Tests, should favour aggressive stroke play.

Indian captain Virat Kohli heads the ICC batting list, closely followed by his South African friend and IPL teammate de Villiers.

India opener Rohit Sharma and South Africans Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla are also in the top 10, while MS Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan are at 13 and 14 on the list.