The T20 World Cup gets underway in Australia on Sunday, with Sri Lanka locking horns with Namibia at the Kardinia Park in Geelong, Victoria, in the opening match. This is the first time the tournament is down under, and we should look forward to experiencing some enthralling action for the next month or so.
Sixteen teams will play 45 matches across seven different Australian cities in the tournament. On that note, we will look at the three pre-tournament favourites with a strong chance of winning the tournament.
Related: T20 World Cup Winners & Runners List (From 2007 to 2021)
#1 Australia
No host nation has yet been able to win T20 World Cups, but that does not mean that Australia will not be able to break that jinx. They are the defending champions, and no country has yet been able to defend the T 20 World Cup either.
The tournament’s history might be prejudiced against Australia this time around, but their team management will not be too worried about that. What they would rather be worried about is the fact that they have lost their two most recent T20 series against India and England, respectively. Their fast bowlers have leaked runs heavily, and the spinners have not been able to fare much better, either.
However, the emergence of all-rounder Cameron Green as a swashbuckling hitter and reliable bowler is a silver lining for them. Moreover, it can be safely assumed that their much-vaunted pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will get their act together in a big tournament. The pugnaciousness of skipper Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis and the technical superiority of Steve Smith and David Warner further mean that the hosts might be the team to beat.
#2 India
Hardly any other team has been as consistent as India in the recent past in T20 cricket. Recent home series wins against Australia and South Africa further reinforce the fact. However, we cannot forget that the conditions will be a lot different in Australia, and it cannot be denied that India fared poorly in the Asia Cup in the Middle-east, where the ball swung and bounced a bit.
However, India’s batting line-up is awe-inspiring, and the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and K L Rahul form the most formidable top-order in the world. Moreover, India’s top batters are technically sound and can find gaps during the first six overs with copybook strokes. Add to that dashers like Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant, and one has a brilliant batting order.
Still, India’s weaker bowling prowess will keep their ers worried. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel have gone for many runs recently, and Mohammed Shami might be a bit rusty. Hence, India might rely a great deal on their spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin to take wickets and check the flow of runs during the middle overs. Chahal might enjoy the bounce he is likely to get in Australia, and his ability to flight the ball might fetch him wickets on big Australian grounds, which the batters will find difficult to clear.
