Virat Kohli: England are favourites for T20 World Cup title

Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler backed their opponents, who will host the upcoming World Cup, to win the tournament but Indian captain Virat Kohli insists it is England, the number one-ranked T20 side, who should be feared

England, not India, are the favourites to win the upcoming T20 World Cup, believes India captain Virat Kohli.

The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Australia last October but was rearranged due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will now be hosted by India. And, given the recent successes of host nations in both the 20 and 50-over competitions, both England captain Eoin Morgan and vice-captain Jos Buttler have identified India as title favourites.

However, Kohli firmly believes the England camp are in the minority with their prediction.

"It’s England who will be the team to beat," he said. "They are the number one side in the world and the prime focus will be on them in this World Cup.

"All the other teams will be wary of the strength they bring onto the park [and] every other team will agree with me. It’s England who are the favourites and that will not change."

^{Rishabh Pant (L) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (R) have both been recalled to the T20 set-up}

India have made several changes to their T20 squad which defeated Australia last December, including recalling Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who hasn't played a T20I since 2019, and in-form Test wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Uncapped duo Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have also been called up to what Kohli describes as his most balanced squad.

"If you look at the squad and the additions we’ve made, we’ve tried to address a few things we needed and specific guys who can be x factors with the bat," he said. "These guys have done this in the IPL on a regular basis and we’ve tried to cover all bases.

"It will be interesting to see how they go in these five games. These are the only games we have as a team before the World Cup and we want to see how these guys fare in the middle. I feel like the squad right now – [Ravindra] Jadeja will come back whenever fit – is the most balanced in terms of the options ready and available for us to take on the field."

Kohli added that India will be playing with a new mindset after picking a squad better suited to T20 batting, continuing: "The players we’ve added to the squad is precisely to give our batting line-up more depth. We want to be a side that plays free cricket. We don’t want to have any baggage of lack of depth and one guy having to bat long enough to make sure we get a big total.

"We have explosive batters in the team now who can change the game at any stage, even if you’re two or three wickets down. This time around you’ll see guys being more free, more expressive in terms of approaching the innings and not worrying about whether there will be enough batsmen if we lose a couple of wickets early on, which was the case before.

India v England, first T20: All you need to know

"We didn’t have enough depth to play freely throughout the first 10 or 12 overs, but I see us being much more positive and free from this series onwards."

One surprise omission from the India squad is spinner Ravi Ashwin. The 34-year old hasn’t played an T20I since July 2017 but took 13 wickets for Delhi Capitals in last season’s Indian Premier League and dominated England’s batters in the recent Test series. However, Kohli all but ruled out a World Cup return for the veteran allrounder.

"Washington [Sundar] has been doing really well for us," he said. "You cannot have two players of the same discipline playing in one spot so unless Washy has a horrible season and things go south for him… you suggest we should play Ashwin in the team when someone like Washington already does the job. It’s easy to ask the question but [there’s] a logical explanation."

With such a strong squad at their disposal, there has been considerable debate surrounding India’s starting XI, most notably at the top of the order where Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan are vying for two positions. However, for Kohli at least, the decision is an easy one.

"If Rohit plays, then it’s quite simpler. KL and Rohit have been consistently performing at the top of the order for us and those two will start," he confirmed. "[If] Rohit needs a rest or KL has a niggle then Shikhar comes back as the third opener but the starting composition: Rohit and KL are the ones who will start."

Rounding off his squad analysis, India’s captain also threw his support behind returning seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The 31-year old hasn’t played for India in any format since December 2019 due to a lengthy injury layoff but is considered a crucial cog in Kohli’s World Cup machine.

India v England T20s: Things to watch

"He’s worked really well to get back to 100% fitness," Kohli said. "He’s a smart operator with the ball and he continues to bring that experience onto the field which will be vital for us going forward. He wants to contribute to more Indian victories in the coming months and in the World Cup we obviously need our most experienced T20 bowlers and he’s right up there.

"With the new ball, through the middle overs and at the death, he’s a guy you can bank on. We’re very glad to have him back and hopefully he can build strongly from here and be ready for the World Cup."

Our coverage of India vs England is brought to you in association with Dafabet India. For more on Dafabet and to place a bet, click here

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on everything England - including leading coverage of England in India, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.