INDIA v NEW ZEALAND FRIDAY: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews the 2nd Test between INDIA v NEW ZEALAND with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

MATCH OVERVIEW:

We have a series decider on Friday in Mumbai as India host New Zealand in the 2nd Test. India were on top for most of the 1st Test in Kanpur but they failed to bowl New Zealand out on the final day and they had to settle for a draw. It was one of those famous Test matches with the batting team finishing nine down as they hung on for a draw, and we saw some dramatic in-running swings on BETDAQ Betting Exchange.

With so many eyeballs on Indian cricket, there is always going to be a massive debate about every decision they make. A lot were shouting that they declared too late, but to be honest it’s hard to see how they could have declared earlier given the pitch. It was a very close call between putting New Zealand under pressure and handing them an excellent chance to win. I suppose in one sense both sides would have been happy with how the 1st Test went – India for their impressive performance on a flat pitch and New Zealand for hanging in there and getting a draw when they were outplayed.

As we move to Mumbai now for the 2nd Test, we will have totally different conditions and this will be a different challenge. New Zealand have shown that they are a tough side to beat, even with the Indian conditions always playing into the hands of the home side. It’s very difficult to get a result in India, and New Zealand have a superb chance here – they won’t be unhappy with a drawn series, which is still a pretty big achievement away to India. Another brilliant game awaits.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

Obviously we have had a big gap in the cricket schedule in India with Covid19, but you actually have to go back all the way to 2016 to find the last Test match here. England visited and lost by an innings and 36 runs with Virat Kohli scoring 235. India will be delighted to see Kohli back in the side, and he could have a huge impact on the scores here. You can get two very different types of wickets at Mumbai, and I would definitely wait and see what type of wicket we get. It can be very friendly for the seamers early and then flatten out a little, or it can spin from day one. Watch out for what soil they use in regards to the wicket, but either way we should see spin at some stage. I personally feel there will be something for the seamers and then it will spin on day four and five – day two and three will be good for batting.

RECOMMENDED BET:

India have drifted out to reflect the fact they couldn’t win the 1st Test even with everything going right. I’m still happy with our small investment on New Zealand in the 1st Test even though they were outplayed. I feel there isn’t a huge amount between the sides here, and New Zealand were on the backfoot for the whole Test but still got a result. I don’t see that being the case with India, and I feel if you swapped the sides New Zealand would have finished the game. I don’t see a draw here on the Mumbai pitch, and I feel the New Zealand bowlers can have some success here. I’m happy to have another small bet on New Zealand as I feel they have a better chance than the market suggests.

The Edge Says:
One point win New Zealand to beat India at 4.9 with BETDAQ Exchange.

View the market here -> https://bit.ly/BDQINDNZ2

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

Some interesting in-running angles to look at here. If we get a traditional Mumbai wicket, you tend to want to be on the bowling side with the new ball and then switch to the batting side later on day one if they aren’t in trouble by then. After that, day two and three is generally the best time to bat and you want to be looking for trades on the batting side before we start to see spin come into it on day four onwards. We could easily have a spinning wicket though given this is a series decider and if that’s the case I would just spend the Test looking for trades on the bowling side. These two sides are pretty even in my opinion, and we could see a lot of big in-running swings again here. It should be a good Test for trading!