Following India's splendid victory against arch-rival Pakistan in the Champions Trophy match, skipper Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar on Monday said the defending champions to be the favourites to win the marquee event.
Rajkumar further said that India's Sunday night performance has established that it can overcome the South African side to lift the trophy.
"South Africa is a tough competitor for India, but the kind of cricket we played, it can be said that we are the favourites to win the Champions Trophy," Rajkumar told ANI.
Rajkumar also praised Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh for helping India to put up a score of 319/3, which proved too good for the Pakistani side as they were bundled out for 164.
"A solid performance from the opening stand crated a strong base. Both Yuvraj and Rohit proved that the form may dwindle, but the class remains permanent," he said.
Yuvraj scored a blistering half-century in just 29 balls, while Rohit Sharma (91) remained the top scorer for the Indian side.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)