Gary Kirsten hails India as favourites to win the Champions Trophy 2017

Former Indian coach Gary Kirsten has declared the Men in Blue as favorites of lifting the CT2017. Kirsten coached India and helped them reach the epitome of success, both in the Test rankings and ODI competitions under his reign. The veteran South African batsman also led India to their second world championship trophy in 2013.

South Africa has often been dubbed as the ‘chokers’ in the international circuit. And quite frankly, the team had put up relevant performances. Despite having a good team on the paper, the South Africans never managed to win the high-stakes games. The Proteas yet again ran into the same luck this time around, failing to qualify for the business end of the tournament.

According to Mumbai Mirror, speaking about his home country, Kirsten exclaimed, “There has been an unfortunate history of the South African team fearing failure in a few major knockout games. This history, with each generation inheriting the same anxiety, is not easy to break down. There have been may approach tried, to overcome this issue. Ironically, these same players have performed in pressurized environments with other teams they represent on many occasions. The South Africa Test team has been a great example of the same players performing exceptionally well in high-pressure situations.”

The Indian team, on the other hand, has the perfect blend of players capable of decimating any team that comes their way. India has illustrated an excellent form on their road to the semis. The batting order has been extremely clinical scoring the much-needed runs by virtue of successful partnerships. The bowling unit looks tight as well with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah.

The winning streak of the Indian team is an indication of the carnage they are capable of. India are one of the favorites to win the tournament and have a great chance of defending their title if the team performs to their true potential.