INDIA v WEST INDIES: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews the 1st T20 between India v West Indies with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
India v West Indies 1st T20
MATCH OVERVIEW:
It’s T20 series time Wednesday as India and West Indies at Kolkata. West Indies were hammered 3-0 in the ODI series, but their T20 has always been their main game and their stars will want to showcase their talent with the IPL only around the corner now. Although India come into the game as heavy favourites, hopefully West Indies can perform better than the ODI series and we see some big swings in-running on BETDAQ Betting Exchange.
The good news is we should see fans at this ground, and West Indies will have superb memories of this ground – winning their second T20 World Cup in the final over with Brathwaite hitting four sixes off Ben Stokes to win it from an unlikely position against England. Who could ever forget that game! Although they arrive into this fixture in poor form, it’s hard to rule out the West Indies in T20 cricket. At home, they lost an ODI series to Ireland and then won a T20 series against England. T20 cricket just suits them, and while India are still so strong at home this series should at least be a little closer than the ODI series.
Although the IPL auction has passed, we all know players are still very much in the shop window. A lot of eyes will be on the Indian team selection here though, and it seems Rohit Sharma will get a new opening partner. Ishan Kishan was the most expensive Indian buy at the IPL auction so all eyes will be on him to partner Sharma!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Back in the day, Kolkata used to favour spin and we saw some low and slow pitches. This is going right back to when KKR would be a huge force at home. However these days the surface is usually batting friendly and with the relatively small boundaries we usually see plenty of sixes and a high scoring game here. That will be music to the ears for West Indies who love hitting it long. Their main issues will be getting the singles off this excellent Indian attack, but I feel we’ll have good batting conditions – whether or not West Indies can take advantage is another question.
RECOMMENDED BET:
I do feel that West Indies will improve for the change to T20 from the ODI format, however India will be too strong once again and the 1.37 is worth backing. India have an excellent bowling attack, probably the best in the world at the moment and that will be the difference here. If you think back to the West Indies v England series, England very much let themselves down with the ball and their death bowling was pretty poor. West Indies won’t have that advantage here and although we might see some big hits, I can still see the Indian attack stopping the singles and that’s what will win the game for India.
The Edge Says:
Three points win India to beat West Indies at 1.37 with BETDAQ Exchange.
View the market here -> https://bit.ly/BDQIndWI1
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
A lot depends on the wicket here, and I would try see if any journalist posts a picture of the wicket earlier than when the TV cameras come on to see if the wicket is green or not. A green wicket doesn’t mean it’s tough for batting here though, it usually means the ball comes onto the bat quicker which can result in quicker scoring. I would expect reasonably good batting conditions as I said above, and I feel the only action we’ll see is if West Indies bat first and put on a big score. As we saw in the England series, I feel West Indies have to bat first and not face the run rate pressure – they need that freedom of hitting sixes and scoring dots too! When they face run rate pressure they are more likely to do something silly so I wouldn’t be afraid of supporting West Indies at times if they bat first, but I still feel this should be one way traffic for India.
