Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid warned of 'big risk' in India's T20 World Cup setup by Clarke: '...the biggest threat'

Rohit Sharma and the rest of the Indian team will play their first match of the T20 World Cup against Ireland on June 5.

With the T20 World Cup around the corner, experts and former players have started giving their thoughts on the sides that are most likely to win the tournament. As is usually the case, India have been touted among the favourites to win the title and thus win the T20 World Cup for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2007.

The 2024 T20 World Cup starts on Saturday and India's first match will be against Ireland on June 5. (PTI)

Michael Clarke has said that India pose the biggest threat to Australia's chances of winning the T20 World Cup for a second time. The former Australia captain said that India are the favourites based on the amount of cricket all the players have managed to get under their belts before the tournament. The 2024 T20 World Cup starts on Saturday and India's first match will be against Ireland on June 5.

“If you look at the favourites for the World Cup it's got to be India just because of the amount of cricket they have played, their preparation has been outstanding. Conditions are different to India but there are a lot of similarities so the players would be used to that,” Clarke said on ESPN.

'Spin is going to play a big role'

Clarke said that India have taken a risk by selecting a spin-heavy bowling lineup. India have selected four spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are all-rounders while Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are out-and-out spinners.

“I think India have taken a risk with the squad they have picked - heavily reliant on spin, very different from Australia. But in the conditions that I have played in the Caribbean I think how you play spin is going to be a huge part of whether you succeed or not. India are the biggest threat for me with regards to who is going to win the World Cup,” said Clarke.