As India and England gear up for the five-match T20I series starting Friday (March 12) in Ahmedabad, the series will serve as the best opportunity for both teams to find out their strong combination for the much-awaited ICC T20I World Cup 2021 to be held in India later this year.
With T20I World Cup 2021 scheduled in India, England would be certainly looking to try each possible option in the T20I series on the Indian conditions in order to see how players go, while Team India will also start preparation for the marquee event with the home series.
Well, the talks about the T20I World Cup have already begun among the cricket experts and players as well with England captain Eoin Morgan and his deputy Jos Buttler labeling India as the favorites for the title this year, but Indian captain Virat Kohli has a different opinion on the same.
During the pre-match virtual press-conference on Thursday, March 11 in Ahmedabad, Kohli said England is ranked No 1 in T20Is and is the favorite to win the T20 World Cup this year in India.
He further said all the other teams in the T20 World Cup will be wary of England’s strengths while reckoning the “prime focus would be on” Morgan’s team in the showpiece event later this year.
Kohli told a news conference, “I think it's England who will be the team to beat. They are the number one side in the world and the prime focus will be on them in this World Cup.”
The 32-year-old further added, “All the other teams will be wary of the strengths that they bring onto the park and every other team would agree with what I say. It's England who is the favorites and that will not change regardless of how they think.”
Meanwhile, the Indian skipper also confirmed that experienced cricketer Shikhar Dhawan would remain India’s third opener with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma opening for India in the T20Is.
He signed off by saying, “KL and Rohit have been consistently performing at the top of the order for us and those two would start. In a situation where Rohit takes a rest, or KL has a niggle or something likes that, Shikhar obviously comes in as the third opener.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
