India are the perennial favourites for any cricketing contest in the current climate, and this tournament is no different.
The Indian side has probably the best balance across the tournament, with players for basically every role, most of whom are world class.
India have greatness inside their top 3, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will go down as two of the greatest cross-format batters to ever play the game and would desperately like a T20 world title to add to their impressive resumés.
Accompanying them at the top of the order, India have some impressive stocks to choose from. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are two powerful hitters who debuted and made runs against England earlier this year, and KL Rahul is a dependable run-getter. Rahul comes under fire for his scoring rate whilst maintaining a high average in recent years (see – England’s Dawid Malan, more to come on him) but will likely start India’s first match of the tournament.
India’s middle-order is not exactly short of power either, with the firecracker of a wicket-keeper-bat Rishabh Pant never far from a murderous 70 from 34 deliveries despite his poor IPL restart form. All-rounder Hardik Pandya can more than fulfil the finisher role whilst adding some handy medium-fast bowling as a 6th option.
The Indian bowling line-up will prove fairly tricky to manage for opponents as well. With the accurate, more or less unhittable, left-arm spin of Ravi Jadeja and Axar Patel, India have control and powerplay options should the match situation require. Jadeja is also one of the most talented late innings hitters in the world, as he is proving this year in the IPL, with his average near 60 and his strike rate over 145. Ravichandran Ashwin supplies experience, tactical nous, a bit of an edge, and mystery spin. Ashwin has a huge array of variations which, allied with his accuracy and ‘cricket brain’ can be the difference in the early middle overs. Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy offer economical and wicket-taking leg-spin for the middle overs.
Opposition can probably expect to be facing three of these four options, Jadeja is the better number seven than Axar but Axar is the better bowler so India may decide that they go with the extra bowler, given the enormous strength of their top six.
As far as fast-bowling goes, to accompany the world’s best fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah India will likely pick one or both (surface dependant) of the following; Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Both offer different skillsets, Bhuvneshwar offers serious powerplay threat, with swing and accuracy up front, and Mohammed Shami tends to get more movement off the pitch.
India are the favourites by a touch over England, and may be lacking an internationally proven mystery wrist-spinner, but their batting depth combined with whoever they pair Jasprit Bumrah with should get them over the line.
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Michael Vince on Sport 