After the four-match Test series, both India and England will now face each other in the upcoming five-match T20I series, starting from Friday (March 12) in Ahmedabad.
The forthcoming T20I leg is crucial for both teams, especially considering the fact that the T20 World Cup 2021 will take place in India in September later this year. Now, ahead of the showpiece event, England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler has revealed his favourite team that can emerge as champions.
Buttler has picked India as his favourites for the T20 World Cup, stating the hosts will have the home advantage and has the ability to make the most of it. The English white-ball vice-captain said that it would be tremendous exposure for England to play against one the best in the business in the approaching T20I series.
“Going into World Cups, you probably look at hosts nations as strong as India who are gonna be favourites for that tournament. So it’s a great exposure for us to play against one of the best teams in the tournament in these conditions,” said Buttler in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
Buttler articulated that India have been doing well across formats, therefore, they will certainly be favourites at home.
“There are many excellent teams; in the last few World Cups, hosts nations have performed very well. India is, of course, strong in every format, and T20 is no different and especially playing at home; I see India as the favourites,” he added.
The 2020 edition of the showpiece event was scheduled to take place in Australia last year but had to be postponed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
India, who have not won an ICC trophy since 2013, will be eager to lift the T20 World Cup title this time around. The five-match contest against England will be a vital one for Virat Kohli & Co., who will be hoping to settle their squad ahead of the mega event.
India are still in the process of finalising their team as they are trying different combinations. For the upcoming T20I leg, BCCI has included some new faces like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Rahul Tewatia in the outfit.
