Virat Kohli has labelled England as the favourites for the Champions Trophy, as he believes that their side has no particular weakness. That and the fact that they’ll be playing on home soil make England the team to beat this Champions Trophy.
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The last time around India went out and did exactly that, when they won a thrilling final against an exciting English One Day side.
Kohli would be hoping that his boys can replicate some of that fight from 2013 in order to go deep into the tournament and maybe pull out a rabbit from the hat once again.
It is England’s squad depth that has most impressed Kohli, who feels that they have 5-6 players who can excel in all departments, and hence provide that much needed balance to their side.
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“I think they’re a very, very balanced side,” he told a media conference. “I think one of the two best balanced sides I would say in the world at the moment.
“They bat right down to number nine or 10. All explosive players, five or six guys can do both bat and bowl and good fielders as well.
“That’s why they give you such a tough competition anywhere they play in the world, one-day cricket, and we experienced that in India as well.
“They’re pretty hard to get past and something that’s going to be a challenge for every other team in the Champions Trophy as well. I’m sure they’ll be eager to go a long way in this tournament.” Kohli said.
When asked if the English side had any weakness that the Indians could exploit, Kohli was quick to point out that at the moment the English side was devoid of any weaknesses.
“Any weaknesses? Not at the moment. Especially in their conditions, they’re pretty strong.
“The only thing being, you know, when a side plays in that manner for so long, when it doesn’t click, it can go against you pretty quickly. But they have managed to sort of continue that mindset pretty well.
“I don’t see anyone taking a backward step at any stage in the game. That’s pretty amazing, to see for the whole batting line-up to play like that, it’s quite rare.
“With them it’s all about attack throughout the 50 overs, which I think is quite exciting for the fans to see as well and for the opposition it’s quite challenging also because you need to be on top of your game throughout to get past a team like that.”
