Armed with depth, balance and familiarity with conditions they have faced in the IPL over the years, India start as favourites as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup kicks off on February 7.But T20 cricket has a habit of humbling certainties, and the road to the trophy will be contested fiercely by a quartet of proven predators: Australia, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka.India’s case rests on abundance. The batting line-up stretches deep, blending power with placement. Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order is box-office stuff. His approach is to decimate opponents. His rhythm is vital to India’s mood — a start that can take the game away from the opposition in a handful of overs.In the bowling department, Varun Chakravarthy is a match-winner. He is different and productive, allowing the team to attack by picking wickets, rather than restrict the flow of runs. The presence of all-rounders adds elasticity. In recent cycles, India’s bowling has matured into a more proactive unit, capable of creating pressure rather than merely absorbing it. Pace up top, spin through the middle and specialist options at the death give India multiple ways to control tempo — an essential trait in a format where tempo is everything.Yet favourites rarely stroll to titles. The knockouts compress pressure into a handful of overs, and this is where the contenders loom large.Australia bring an old-school ruthlessness to modern T20. Their team is built to survive discomfort. When the game tightens, they simplify — clear plans, hard lengths, straight lines. Australia’s strength is psychological as much as technical — they are comfortable being unpopular in hostile venues, comfortable letting the game simmer before stamping authority late. In sudden-death cricket, that composure can be decisive.South Africa remain the tournament’s great paradox — a side with enviable athleticism and firepower that has often carried the weight of history into the knockouts. This generation, however, looks freer — quicker between the wickets, sharper in the field and more clinical at the death. Their pace attack can tilt games in short bursts, and if their middle order absorbs early pressure, South Africa have the tools to finally rewrite old narratives.England continue to play T20 as an act of defiance. Their philosophy is simple — raise the ceiling and live with the risk. When it clicks, England compress games into 10-over sprints that opponents struggle to keep up with. Their bowling, built around match-ups and variations, complements the aggression. In knockouts, England’s challenge is not courage but calibration — choosing when to double down and when to take the foot off the accelerator.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, offer a different rhythm. They thrive on guile — spin that grips, batters who read pace off the pitch and a collective comfort with low-scoring tension. In subcontinental conditions, Sri Lanka’s craft can drag favourites into awkward games decided by patience rather than power. They do not need fireworks to control a contest — they need time, and they know how to steal it.So yes, India begin as favourites — by depth, by design, by conditions. But the World Cup is not a coronation ؒ— it is a gauntlet. Australia will test nerve, South Africa will test nerve endings, England will test restraint and Sri Lanka (with home advantage) will test patience.In T20, the crown belongs not to the most talented team on paper, but to the one that handles pressure when the margins are thinnest.