India are currently ranked the second best T20, with their rating of 268 putting them seven points off first-placed England.
But while they may be narrowly behind England in the rankings, India are looking good for the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Their form is very impressive. They won nine of their ten T20 matches in 2020, beating each of New Zealand, West Indies and Australia at least twice during that period.
It was only in their final game of 2020 (against Australia on 8 December) that they tasted defeat.
India are also the tournament hosts, which is scheduled to be held from 18 October to 15 November 2020. This could be crucial.
While there’s no scientific consensus on host nations having an advantage over their rivals, history has shown that countries hosting tournaments often perform at their best.
It was the case for England during the 2019 One Day World Cup. The home side won one of the most dramatic finals in the history of cricket, with the last action of the game snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
And India have a point to prove at the 2021 T20 World Cup.
They hosted the 2016 World Cup but were defeated by eventual winners West Indies, losing by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium. 2021 is a chance to avenge this result.
This combination of status, form, home advantage and the desire have India looking good for the T20 World Cup, fans, sports betting sites and players alike all offering optimistic assessments of their chances of winning the event.
Twitter user @okiedokiloki has so much faith in India that he believes one World Cup might be an unambitious target.
The Twitter user posted “can this be the year, India win two world cups??? Remember the T20 world cup is in India this year!!!”
Professional pundits reflect this belief, with Mr Green casino betting the hosts will achieve victory at the T20.
The highly reviewed sports gambling site makes India the favourites to win the World Cup. It gives India odds of 23/10 to win the trophy, with England at 7/2 to earn victory.
While this might not seem a lot, the difference between the site’s confidence in India and England is quite significant. A £10 wager on India would bring a return £33, while the same bet on England would return £45.
This can be read that India are 26.67% more likely to win the T20 World Cup than England.
England star Eoin Morgan also thinks India are the favourites.
England’s skipper and Knight in shining armour said “I think India are the team to beat given we are playing them away from home. I think they are a very difficult side to beat in India. Given that the world cup is here, I do think they would go into the World Cup as favourites”.
Everything’s looking good for India at the time of writing but much can change between now and the start of the T20. The host nation will hope that they can keep the good vibes going and stay injury free.
If they do then things might look even better on 15 November.
