What fleet might an independent India have needed?

What naval forces might an independent India have needed to compete with Japan?

Fast minelayers, carriers, cruisers, and perhaps battleships, backed by much stronger naval infrastructure and yards.

A viewer asks what an independent India might have needed to compete with Japan in the interwar strategic setting. The counterfactual force includes an Abdiel-like fast minelayer that could help close the Singapore Strait, alongside carriers, cruisers, and perhaps one or two battleships. Such a force would depend on developing naval infrastructure and shipyards. The answer shifts fleet planning from a list of prestige hulls to the bases and industrial capacity required to operate them.