Former England cricketer Ian Chappell is fairly appreciative of the Indian side that recently defeated mighty Australia in Australia after being 0-1 down after the first Test and losing their captain at the same time.
Since the second Test in Melbourne, Team India has looked amazing and the likes of Virat Kohli returning to the side is a hugely demotivating piece of news for the opposition.
Not surprisingly, Chappell believes that India are clearly the favorites against the touring England side. The addition of Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya seems to give the home side an unbeatable presence.
Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricInfo, "India will start as favorites after an exhilarating victory over Australia, overcoming all obstacles. When you add the name Virat Kohli to the batting order, the team suddenly assumes a bulletproof cloak. In also adding the names R Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, and Ishant Sharma to the list of available players, India takes on an unbeatable appearance."
He is also wary of the fact that despite Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer adding to England's pace attack, their batting order might pull the team down. Chappell is of the opinion that the weak top order of England might tip the scale in favour of Indian team even more.
"The availability of a premium player in Ben Stokes who, like (Hardik) Pandya, provides all-round ability and selection flexibility, albeit at a higher level than the Indian, is a big plus. And Jofra Archer adds substantially to the quality of an already strong pace attack."
"However it's the top of the England order, where another returning player, Rory Burns, will reside, that the scales tip in India's favour," he added.
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The 77-year-old compared India's top order and found out that the likes of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara put India well ahead of England.
"India's top three feature an impressive Shubman Gill, a talented but flawed Rohit Sharma, and the indomitable Cheteshwar Pujara, which places them well ahead of England's top order," Chappell wrote.
He also compared the two sides' middle orders and pace attacks and found out that the force of Team India might be too much to handle for the visiting side over the next couple of months.
(With inputs from ESPNCricInfo and PTI)
