T20 World Cup 2022: "England definitely has the upper hand in terms of experience and the firepower" - Anil Kumble dubs Jos Buttler's side as favourites for final
Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 final between England and Pakistan, former India skipper and coach Anil Kumble shared his predictions for the marquee fixture.
Kumble opined that both teams have been on song and were able to chase down their targets emphatically in their respective semi-final matches.
In the penultimate clash of the T20 World Cup against New Zealand, Pakistan came up with an inspired effort to outclass the Kiwis by seven wickets and seal their place in the final.
England's Jos Buttler and Alex Hales put up a stellar display to chase down the target of 169 against India without the loss of any wickets.
In this regard, Kumble reckoned:
"The conditions are very different. We have seen at the MCG that there is a lot more swing and some bounce and some pace. So it depends on that. I don't think it will be like the Adelaide pitch. Pakistan will have to watch out for that and so does England.
"England have had two good opening partnerships against India and their previous fixture as well but still they'll need to watch out for that swing. England definitely has the upper hand in terms of experience and the firepower and the options they have available with them in their bowling lineup."
Anil Kumble blames team selection for India's exit from T20 World Cup
Anil Kumble has identified the Indian team selection as the primary reason for the Men in Blue's T20 World Cup 2022 exit. Kumble highlighted that the Indian team needs to play a brand of cricket where batters contribute with the ball in order to give balance to the side.
Anil Kumble found fault with the selection of Indian teams, saying the current trend needs to change in an interview with ESPNCricinfo.
"...what I see as something that certainly needs to be done is, how we keep talking about to bat. But I think in Indian cricket, you need batters to bowl too for the balance of the team,"
"That's exactly what England have. They had too many choices. They used Liam Livingstone. Moeen Ali has hardly bowled in this tournament. So those are the choices that you need."
India will lock horns with New Zealand in the three-match T20I as well as the ODI series starting November 18.