Former West Indies cricketer Alvin Kallicharran has kept India above all the other competitors in the World Cup 2019. Kallicharran has a lot of trust on the duo of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

In his chat with Sportstar, he rated India as favorites for the upcoming mega-tournament in June. “Previously, they went on tours with just hope. Now they travel with the definite idea of winning. They are balanced, have the batting, the pace bowling and some good wrist spinners who can clean outsides," he said.

Kalicharran added how deadly the combination of Dhoni and Virat is. “You have Kohli as the general and M.S. Dhoni as the lieutenant general. That’s a terrific combination," he felt.

Kallicharran, who played 505 FC matches, went on to laud Kohli for his batting, saying, “He knows how to construct an innings. He can find the gaps, the hallmark of a good player, and manipulate the field. Kohli plays a lot of ground shots, takes the team home.”

The rising Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah reminds him of Sylvester Clarke. “Bumrah has an ambling run-up but has a high and a quick-arm action. He gets an awkward bounce from a good length and hits the batsmen on the body. Not as fast and menacing as Clarke but pretty similar and effective," he said.

Kallicharran feels apart from India, it's Australia, England and his nation West Indies who has the valor to win the title. “Australia will be bolstered by the return of David Warner and Steve Smith. England will be playing at home and the West Indies, if they pick the right team, has a chance.”

He added, “But in England, a lot would depend on the conditions on that particular day. If there is a cloud cover in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon, the team batting first will suffer. The weather will be an evener.”

(With Sportstar Inputs)