New Delhi, Oct. 1: In town for the forthcoming Champions Trophy, West Indies captain Brian Lara believes that the upcoming one-day tournament could throw up a surprise winner.

"Australia have to be favourites because they are ranked number one. South Africa are number two, but the winners may be some other team in these testing conditions," Lara said in a press briefing here on Sunday.

"India also have a good chance as they are playing at home and are a force to reckon with. They can beat any team on their day."

West Indies play their first game against Zimbabwe on October 8 at Ahmedabad. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are other sides in the qualifying rounds. The top two make it to the main draw.

Australia, India, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan have been given direct entry into the main draw based on their rankings in April this year.

"It is a nice feeling to land here as defending champions," said Lara, who is in his third stint as captain.

The West Indies were the surprise champions in England in the previous tournament in 2004, but have slipped in rankings since then.