Harsha Bhogle picks South Africa, England as favorites for Champions Trophy

Veteran Indian broadcaster and commentator Harsha Bhogle has often been very vocal and clinical about his views on the game. Bhogle, an ardent follower of cricket, is one of the most popular voices in the game. Recently, he explained at length about the various propositions the team India has in the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. He noted that the squad picked up by the Indian selectors is perhaps the best-suited one.

In a column for Cricbuzz, Harsha Bhogle tried to explain that the fans must not get carried away by the performances in the IPL. The T20 blitz is a total different ball game than the ODI cricket. After the Indian team was picked for the mega event, many pundits believed that the likes of Robin Uthappa and Rishabh Pant deserved a spot in the line up due to their prolific run show in the ongoing edition of the IPL.

“Dhoni’s IPL strike rate therefore, or the starts Shikhar Dhawan had in the first few games aren’t as much of an issue because the ability to produce long innings is a superior factor. Hence, the more predictable line-up. Of greater concern though is the ability to adapt to early summer conditions in England and while recent indicators suggest high-scoring matches are likely to be the norm, you need batsmen in good form to handle the more demanding conditions. The IPL throws up no proof of that,” Harsha Bhogle wrote.

His take on the Indian bowling

By the look of things, Bhogle seemed very content with the way the team combinations had been put forth. However, his only concern was with India’s main man in the bowling department – Mohammad Shami. The last time Shami featured for India in the ODI colors was back in the 2015 edition of the World Cup. Bhogle remarked that Shami should have more number of overs under his belt to get the rhythm back. Also, the fact that there is very little time between IPL and the Champions Trophy, only adds pressure to the premier pacer.

“It would have been nice to have had a few more overs under Mohammed Shami’s belt and the fact that he wasn’t always the preferred option at the end of the innings for Delhi Daredevils might suggest that he isn’t yet at peak form and so will probably play the reserve bowler’s role. He hasn’t had a lot of one-day cricket recently, neither for that matter, has Ashwin, and he tends to get better the more he bowls. There isn’t a lot of time for that between now and the start of the Champions Trophy,” conceded Harsha Bhogle.

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Barring concerns over Shami, Bhogle believes that the bowling line up is in safe hands. Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah, have all got wickets under their belt. Moreover, the services of Hardik Pandya will come in handy for the skipper Virat Kohli. In addition to the regular bowlers, the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Yuvraj Singh can always chip in with crucial contributions in the match with the ball as well.

“The bowling, if anything, looks more encouraging with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Jaspreet Bumrah seeming in very good rhythm. It is almost certain that all three will play with Hardik Pandya the extra option if conditions are really seam-friendly. Virat Kohli needs to be convinced though that Pandya can give him ten overs because while Jadhav and Yuvraj might be good back-up bowlers in Indian conditions, they may not offer much in early summer English conditions,” he pointed out.

Harsha’s final verdict

Giving his final verdict on the tournament, Harsha Bhogle noted that the Indian team does not start as the favorites. It is the hosts England and the strong Proteas lineup who would go into the tournament with the tag.

“I don’t believe India start favorites, South Africa and England probably do, but once you get to the semi-final you are a couple of performances away from winning. And this team must fancy its chances to get to the semi-final,” he concluded.