PTI - Friday, 11-50 pm IST

New Delhi, Apr 21: Explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that contributing to the Indian team's victories was more important than reaching the top spot in one-day world rankings.

"Ranking does not matter. The team is more important. As long as my contributions lead to the team's victories, it is more important than the top ranking," he said.

The Jharkhand player displaced Ricky Ponting from the top of ICC ODI batsmen's rankings after his half century in the second and final cricket ODI against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.    Editor's Choice

"It's a pleasure for me to achieve the top ranking in a short span of 16 months. It really means I have done something to reach the top spot in such a short time," he was quoted as saying by a website.

The 24-year-old said he had to keep performing if he wanted to enjoy the top ranking for a longer period.

"It's a good feeling and I hope to keep performing in the near future. If you want to stay in the team you need to keep performing," he said.

Dhoni has proved himself as a key member of the Indian cricket team. In 42 one-dayers, he has scored 1372 runs at an average of 52.76 and an amazing strike-rate of 103.

He said it was unfair to compare him with his Australian counterpart Adam Gilchrist.

"Gilchrist has proved himself consistently over a long period of time. I have played only 16 months of international cricket. Hence, I think that the comparison cannot be justified. I just hope that people can recognize me as Dhoni only," he added.