Sports
New Zealand favourites but India fantastic, says Warner
Melbourne, March 12
Australian swashbuckling
opener David Warner on Thursday said co-hosts New Zealand’s new ball
bowlers and consistent batting unit makes them the favourites but feels
the defending champions India are never behind as they are playing some
fantastic cricket.
"The team to beat at the moment would have to
be New Zealand but India has been playing fantastic cricket as well both
with bat and bowl," Warner was quoted as saying by news.com.au.
The
28-year-old feels New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum’s explosive
batting at the top of the order with the bat and his ability to put
opposition teams on the backfoot early in the innings is a big plus for
the Black Caps.
"When a player like McCullum gets going, it
sometimes becomes very difficult for opposition to stop. When the ball
is swinging, their quicks have full potential to take early wickets and
bring a check on the scoring," the left-hander said.
The hard-hitting opening batsman also praised India’s all-round performance.
"India
has won all their five matches and is chasing their third World Cup
title. Their performance with both bat and ball has been the talking
point," feels Warner.
He even feels the Aussies are hitting their
straps at the right time and are a few steps away from clinching their
fifth World Cup title.
“Definitely Australia are right in the mix
as well. With the team we have got and the balance we have got, we have
showed both with bat and ball recently what we can do," Warner
concluded.