Former England captain Eoin Morgan has backed India as the favourites to win the T20 World Cup but expressed his disagreement with the Indian selectors’ decision to relegate Shubman Gill as a travelling reserve for the marquee tournament in the US and the West Indies, starting June 1.

“The strongest side even with injuries throughout the tournament is India. Their strength and depth is absolutely incredible. And it’s almost probably, we’re talking about who the players that were missed out in their squad of 15 because of the quality that they possess,” Morgan said.

“They are favourites for me, the quality they have on paper, if they produce it I think they can beat anybody quite well in the tournament,” he added.

Morgan however, isn’t happy over the selectors’ call to prefer Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of Gill, with whom he had opened the innings for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the past seasons of the IPL.

“The only decision I would have had differently and if I was selecting the squad, I would have Shubman Gill over Yashasvi Jaiswal. I have played alongside him, I know how he thinks. I know how he works.

“I feel he’s a future leader within that side and I think in big moments, in World Cups the more leaders the better. Even if he’s sitting on the sideline, you still need inspiration from here and there, a sense of positivity,” he said.

However, another former England captain Michael Atherton pointed out that India head into almost every tournament as favourites but haven’t won an ICC title in over a decade and ironically that the only time India won the T20 World Cup was before the IPL came into being.

“It’s also an irony, because everyone talks about the IPL and how it has improved India’s T20 cricket. The irony is that the only time they have won is pre IPL,” Atherton said.

Nasser Hussain and Atherton quipped Morgan about India’s style of playing in the T20 and how in the last edition of the T20 World Cup they were hammered by 10 wickets by eventual winners England in the semifinals in Adelaide.

“I think they can (win), because they have go to a stage now where Adelaide would hurt, recently losing the (ODI) World Cup at home to Australia in front of 1,25,000 Indian fans.”

“The spinner will come into the game, the level of batsmanship will come into the game if the wickets slow down like we think. But also that excellence in power hitting is the point of difference for me. Shivam Dube has to play, I think he’ll set this World Cup alight,” Hussain said.