Dawid-Malan

Picture Credit: ECB

Team India is all set to lock horns with England in a one-off Test match, starting on July 1 in Birmingham. Both the teams will also clash in a white-ball series comprising 3 T20Is and as many ODIs. Ahead of the highly-anticipated contest, England star batter Dawid Malan has opined that both teams have a 50-50 per cent chance to outplay each other as both are quality teams and have the ability to make the game a nail-biting contest.

Malan, who visited India to participate in an event organised for underprivileged children in Delhi, said that India has already proven itself to be a tough team to beat across conditions. "They are already ahead in the series. They are leading by 2-1, they can outplay any team by any margin in any given condition. They come with solid preparation and have the perfect blend of experience and youngsters," said Dawid Malan.

However, Dawid Malan rated England as favourites solely because of Ben Stokes' leadership. “Both teams are under new leadership. It is 50-50 at the moment (in terms of who will win the match). But if I pick one, It will be England just based on how Stokes is leading at the moment,” he added.

The England batter who recently joined the elite list of cricketers to hit centuries in all formats termed Kohli as the number one batter in the world. "He is a human, even though he has batted like a superhuman. I can see him bat like a superhuman for a lot of years. He will be reaching those heights again,” he said.

Dawid Malan further backed BCCI for having a larger window cycle for the Indian Premier League by calling the league 'best in the world.' “IPL has been fantastic for cricket. It is a stepping stone. One gets to play in front of packed crowds in a cricket-crazy nation under a lot of pressure. It grooms the player in the best possible manner and for the bigger stage," he said.