Five reasons why India will defeat England to win the Champions Trophy

India came into this tournament as World Champions, but nobody really thought that they would be favourites in English conditions. The perceptions began to change when India defeated South Africa in the first group encounter after two convincing performances in the warm-up matches. India’s traditional strength, batting, was at the forefront of the this charge once again, but it was ably complemented by the agile fielding. The latter has been critical to this change of perception as the energy on the field has been seen an indication of a general psychological change, marked by greater self-belief, that has come about in Indian cricket.  The bowling department has performed for India in this competition, but that remains an area where improvement can still be made. They will be the favorites even when they face the home side in the final of Champions Trophy 2013.

The only weakness that this Indian side may suffer from is complacency. They have not really had to battle their way to the final; they have been comprehensive and convincing. They have chased down low totals and when they have batted first, their opening batsmen have performed. It will be interesting to see what happens if their top order has a meltdown at Edgbaston. England is very much capable of inflicting that and their semi-final performance against the Proteas is a testament to that.

Here is a list of five reasons why India are favorites to win the Champions Trophy by defeating England at Edgbaston:

5. Indian Fielding

The Indian fielding unit is the best in this competition. They put in a stunning performance against the South Africans, hindering their charge as they looked set to chase a massive total set by India. Not only does the fielding effort consolidate upon the bowling performance, it also adds an element of psychological strength. With a number of players being complete live-wires on the ground, the effect runs through the entire set-up in form of a positive attitude and confidence. Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and Shikhar Dhawan are all quality fielders and there is no real appalling loophole in the fielding department. They are likely to outdo the English in this department.