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AHMEDABAD: Rivals are wary of England’s strength and Eoin Morgan’s men are the favourites to win the Twenty20 World Cup this year, India captain Virat Kohli said on Thursday.
The teams will clash on Friday in the first of their five-match Twenty20 International series in Ahmedabad, which assumes more importance coming in a World Cup year.
Morgan and his deputy Jos Buttler have said India, host of the tournament in October-November, would be the favourites to win a second World Twenty20 title.
Kohli, however, believes Morgan’s side, who won the 50-overs World Cup two years ago, deserve that tag.
“I think it’s England who will be the team to beat,” the 32-year-old told a news conference. “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 strengths that they bring onto the park and every other team would agree with what I say.
“It’s England who are the favourites and that will not change regardless of how they think.” Inaugural 2007 champions India will certainly have their own ambition.
Kohli has at his disposal such an abundance of Twenty20 talents that someone like veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to sit out of the 20-overs squad.
“Washington [Sundar] has been doing really well for us. So you cannot have two players of the same discipline playing for the same spot,” Kohli explained.
Morgan said the upcoming series is an ‘extremely exciting’ challenge that would help the team prepare for the World Cup.
The series would be the only opportunity for a full-strength England squad to play together before the World Cup.
Morgan was hopeful the series would allow the squad to “learn a huge amount from this tour and then have time to improve”.
“Certainly with one eye on the World Cup in seven months time, it is an opportunity to try and replicate teams and roles within the side that we might need to iron out before we get to the World Cup.”
The T20 Indian Premier League, which will begin in India on April 9, would play a big role in helping the England players prepare for the tournament, he added.