#2 India
The winners of the World Cup 2011 weren’t the favorites in 2015. Yet they qualified for the semi-final remaining undefeated until Australia ended their run. This year, Virat Kohli & Co. will travel to England being the firm favorites. The Men in Blue have been in a terrific form of late, especially in the ODI format. The last 2 ICC Champions Trophies were held in England and Wales. India won in 2013 while ended up as the runners up in 2017.
England is expected to offer batting-friendly pitches. To exploit the conditions, they have Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma at the top, who combine to form the best opening pair in the format. The No.3 is Virat Kohli and do we need to say more? The best batsman in the world and the captain will leave no stone unturned in going for the ultimate glory.
The middle-order could be the only weak point. Ambati Rayudu will bat at No.4 while the experienced MS Dhoni will come in next. Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya could well be the all-rounders in the XI. India would hope that the middle-order delivers just like it did in the winning campaign in the ODI series in Australia.
Bowling wise, India is the strongest perhaps. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah act as a magnificent pair, both with the new ball as well as at the death. Add to that the wrist spin-duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, it becomes a formidable bowling line-up. For back-up, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja will always push for a place in the XI. Kohli and his men have a great chance of bringing back the trophy home.