NEW DELHI, Oct 20 (PTI): India jumped 16 places to 144th in the latest FIFA rankings issued today following its two wins and as many losses in international friendly matches in the past one month.
India is in 24th spot among Asian Football Confederation countries with 151 points in its kitty. India had beaten Namibia 2-0 and Vietnam 3-1 while losing to Hong Kong 0-1 and to Yemen 3-6 during the ranking period which helped it gain 69 points. After a 22-place free fall last month, India is now above all the neighbouring countries � Myanmar (145th), Bangladesh (150th), Sri Lanka (153rd), Nepal (163rd) and Pakistan (169th). In Asia, Australia leads the pack at 21st, followed by Japan (30th), South Korea (40th), Iran (61st), Saudi Arabia (71st) and Bahrain (84th).
Australia, South Korea and Bahrain are in India�s group in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup which will be held from January 7-29 in Doha, Qatar. Overall, Spain retains the number one spot followed by the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, England, Uruguay, Portugal, Croatia and Russia at top 10.
