Former Australia captain Michael Clarke named India as the favourites for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 which will be played in the United States and West Indies from June 1.
Clarke, who led the Aussies to their record fifth 50-over World Cup in 2015, believed that India are the favourites for the upcoming tournament because they have played a lot of cricket and are well prepared.
“I mentioned it earlier, I think if you look at the favourites for this World Cup, it’s got to be India just because of the amount of cricket they’ve played. Their preparation is outstanding. The conditions are different in the Caribbean and America compared to India, but there are a lot of similarities, so their players should be used to that,” Clarke said in an interview.
The World Cup-winning captain then added that India have taken four spinners to the T20 World Cup, which is nothing more than a risk in the Caribbean.
“The other thing as well, I think India’s taken a risk with the squad they’ve picked, heavily relying on spin. It’s very different to Australia, but in conditions that I’ve experienced in the Caribbean, I think spin bowling and how you play spin is going to be a huge part of your success. So, you know, India is the biggest threat for me in regards to who’s going to win this World Cup,” he added.
In the recently held Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, not a single player who was part of India’s World Cup squad was in either team except Rinku Singh, but he is the reserves.
Clarke stated that this could be a blessing for India as all of their players got to train together from the very first day which will be key in the mega event.
“When you talk about preparation, it’s interesting because there were three Australians in the IPL final and not one of the 15-member India squad in the final, but it could end up being a bit of a blessing in disguise. They’ve got the whole team together in New York early,” he concluded.
