Former West Indies captain Brian Lara believes that the Indian side led by Virat Kohli is perfectly balanced and that they can go all the way and clinch the title as they have the experience and players to get the job done.
“Nobody will be surprised if India becomes the champions. They have been doing well in different conditions. India have a very balanced team. It will not be an upset if they win the Cup. No doubt India are very strong,” Lara told Cricbuzz. (Complete coverage of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019)
Lara also said that England are one of the title contenders as they are playing at home and are a side in form. The Eoin Morgan-led side head into the World Cup as the number 1 ranked side in the world and have won more ODIs that any other side since 2018.
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“I don’t know whether they are favourites or not but they are definitely one of the contenders. Any host nation will try to become champion in any sport. Naturally, England will also try to give their best shot and take away the Cup. We have to remember that although the tournament started in 1975, they have never won a World Cup title. They will try this time like never before and to be honest, they have got a very good side,” said Lara.
{{/usCountry}}“I don’t know whether they are favourites or not but they are definitely one of the contenders. Any host nation will try to become champion in any sport. Naturally, England will also try to give their best shot and take away the Cup. We have to remember that although the tournament started in 1975, they have never won a World Cup title. They will try this time like never before and to be honest, they have got a very good side,” said Lara.
{{/usCountry}}“When I look back, England have also done well in World Cups but it’s just that they couldn’t win it. This time England will try seriously to cross the boundary. If you go through the team, even their critics will agree that they have got fantastic cricketers in all the departments. They have really organized themselves recently,” he added.