New Zealand favourites but India fantastic, says Warner

Melbourne, March 12 (IANS) 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.