Star England opener Phil Salt has stated that defending champions India are the strongest team in the 2018 T20 World Cup. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart stated that other teams will need luck to face the Men in Blue.
India is the 2024 T20 world cup champions with Rohit Sharma as the team captain and Rahul Dravid as the coach. Suryakumar Yadav also replaced Rohit after the headline event and Gautam Gambhir replaced Dravid. That is as far as India has not lost a T20I series since that time.
In the recent past, they have won a five-match T20I series with the Kiwis, where they won the first three matches and lost the fourth. The last and the fifth match will be held on Saturday, January 31.
“I think everyone’s going to need a bit of luck to beat them. I think they are by far and away the strongest team in the World Cup. I am really excited by the idea that we get to come up against them in a World Cup in their backyard,” Salt was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Salt also praised in-form India batter Abhishek Sharma and discussed the comparisons made between the two, adding that both players have unique skills and approaches to the game.
“The fact that he can hit the first ball for a six like that, the way he runs down the wicket, fights that line from really straight to get it over the off side, but then also hits a ball wide to him over the leg side — it is completely different. I am never going to be him. He’s never going to be me. But I do enjoy watching him bat.”
Phil Salt
Salt is now in Sri Lanka, where he will play a three-match T20I series against Dasun Shanaka’s team. The highly anticipated inaugural T20I will take place on Friday, January 30 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
