Exclusive: India need to be aggressive to win World Cup this year, says Michael Vaughan

With just six months to go for the start of the ICC 50 Overs World Cup, India gets another opportunity to test its level against Australia when the two teams start their three-match ODI series in Mumbai on Friday.

India, who retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 2-1 Test series victory over the Aussies recently, goes into the 50 overs series with great momentum, having whitewashed Sri Lanka and New Zealand in this format this year.

But an Australian team featuring several world-class all-rounders will pose a much bigger challenge.

It's the kind of challenge the Indian team needs to gauge their level in the World Cup year.

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain who was in Dubai on Thursday, feels only an aggressive style can help India end its ICC trophy drought in the limited overs cricket.

"I mean you will say India are favourites (for the World Cup) because it's obviously in India's backyard. But they got to be more aggressive with the bat, they got to be more aggressive with the ball," Vaughan told Khaleej Times on Thursday.

"Recently they have been a bit more aggressive in their approach. They need to continue that style of cricket."

In ICC events, Vaughan has been perplexed by the repeated failure of India, which has the biggest talent pool in the world.

"India, for the talent pool that they have, the resources that they have, they have underachieved in white-ball cricket for too many years. There is no way that India's white-ball group should not be winning the World Cups. They should be because they have got the talent pool to do so," Vaughan said.

"I think in this World Cup a lot will depend on whether they are going to be brave enough to play the right style under pressure in front of huge crowds at home."

Vaughan then picked his favourite for the World Cup.

"I have to say that England are the favourites even if it's in conditions that you know is little bit different to what it was in 2019 when they won the World Cup (in England)," he said.

"They (England) have got good spin options. They have got good players who play spin nicely. They have got good variations with the seam bowlers, Jofra Archer coming back (from injury) is huge. And Mark Wood is bowling at 90 miles per hour.

"So I think England have got the experience, but India will be a threat,” he added.

“If they can commit to an aggressive style, India are going to be a formidable force in home conditions."

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