V. B. Chandrasekhar: England is the favourite for Champions Trophy

While some are pinning hopes on defending champion India, the former national selector puts England as the best choice.

A file picture of V. B. Chandrasekhar.

As the Champions Trophy nears, the cricketing fraternity appears to be divided over the tournament favourite.

While some are pinning hopes on defending champion India, former national selector V. B. Chandrasekhar puts England as the best choice. Speaking to  Sportstar  during a live chat show on Friday, the former cricketer admitted that in home conditions, England players could be dangerous. "It (England) has a good variety in batting and bowling departments. I think that makes England the favourite," Chandrasekhar said.

He, however, was not too confident about India's chances, the reason being the batsmen's poor form. "India is a good side but unfortunately some of the key players haven't shown great form in the IPL. That's definitely an area of concern," he said, adding that the selectors should have brought in Krunal Pandya as a replacement for Manish Pandey.

"Dinesh Karthik is in great form and all that is fine, but the selectors should have gone for in-form Pandya. As far as batting is concerned, most of them are struggling," he said.

Chandrasekhar was also concerned about Shikhar Dhawan's poor form. "Though people might say that T20 is different from limited overs cricket, it would have been better had the Indian batsmen gone into the Champions Trophy with a better form," he said.