BIG BASH: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Friday’s 1st Test between INDIA v ENGLAND with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
We’re all set for an excellent tour as England arrive in India. We start with two Tests in Chennai, and so far we haven’t had any Covid19 news on players so it seems both sides can pick their best XI available. England lost Moeen Ali for the Sri Lanka Test series after he tested positive on arrival, and somewhat surprisingly to UK cricket fans, the BCCI have given the green light “informally” for fans for the 2nd Test – at 50% capacity. Whether that happens or not, we’ll just have to wait and see.
This should be an excellent Test series; however it will be the first tour for a number of England players and that’s definitely a negative. They may have had the experience of Sri Lankan conditions before arriving in India, but India will be a completely different experience. India are in top form too; winning the Test series in Australia against all the odds with injuries and even Virat Kohli missing. England were impressive against Sri Lanka, but we must remember Sri Lanka aren’t the force of old and it’s hard to see Broad and Anderson having the same success. Although obviously Stokes and Archer in the squad are huge positives.
India also have higher quality batsmen compared to Sri Lanka too, and it’s also hard to see the England spinners having the same success as they did in Sri Lanka. Obviously Roe Root will lead the England charge, and to say he is a big wicket is an understatement. I just don’t see England getting big scores without him; whereas with India you feel anyone in the top four or five can score a century. Perhaps that is what will be the difference.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Chennai is usually a very good ground for the spinners, even in the One Day format. They have upgraded the stands here in recent years, and we actually haven’t had a Test match here since December 2016. India scored 759/7d that time to win by an innings and 75 runs with England scoring 477 and 207. That 207 showing that it gets tougher as the Test goes on here. It also shows how much cricket has changed in recent years – seeing 750+ scored looks crazy nowadays as batsmen don’t bat too long now. Personally, I would definitely bat first and get the best use of conditions.
RECOMMENDED BET:
I would favour India for the series and I’m very interested to see what happens in the first Test and how the series develops in general. Even allowing for that, I feel India are a little too short here at 1.55. It is very tempting to back England at 5.5, however I’m keen to have the draw on side here to start with. I fully expect batting conditions to be tricky towards the end of the Test, but the pitch usually starts good here and we have had some big scores down through the years. A small lay of India is the order of the day for me – they might be the better side but I can’t have them as short as 1.55 against a solid England team.
The Edge Says:
One point lay (liability) India to beat England at 1.55 on BETDAQ Betting Exchange
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQIndEng1st
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Although India are short favourites, I feel we’ll see a very good Test for trading on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. With the lack of a recent Test here, perhaps it’s unwise to go into the Test with a view on the pitch – I will keep stakes small because of that – however I feel that the pitch will be good for batting for the first three days of the Test. The draw is currently 5.8 and although it’s unlikely we see a draw given the attacking cricket teams play these days, I think we’ll see it trade shorter at some point.
If India don’t get Root early, we could see a 400+ England score taking time out of the game. If India bat first I’d expect a big score, England drifting a lot and the draw taking up the slack in the market. Moeen Ali top scored in 2016 here and although that was long ago, I wouldn’t rule out him going well here and he could be worth a trade down the order. I was surprised Broad and Anderson (if they play) went so well in Sri Lanka, and they might be worth getting against in these conditions as India have a stronger line-up than Sri Lanka.
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