India would probably lean toward the West in a China naval crisis

Where would the Indian Navy stand in a hypothetical China versus Western navies standoff?

In this scenario, India might remain formally neutral while cooperating in practice with Western navies because of its own tensions with China.

In this 2020 scenario, India preserves some formal room for maneuver while practical incentives push its navy toward cooperation with Western forces. The Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and possibly Indian forces could combine in ways that multiplied problems for China. A Queen Elizabeth, Canberra, and Indian carrier combination would add another layer to an already difficult theater. The assessment remains a hypothetical coalition picture rather than a prediction of Indian policy.