THE EDGE: Preview of the first T20 between IRELAND v INDIA with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
India hit Dublin on Friday as they take on Ireland in the first of three T20’s on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. Although there is a huge gulf in class between the sides, India sending a young and inexperienced side does open the door for a competitive game here. We had a thriller in Malahide last summer with Ireland nearly chasing down 225/7 for India – it went right to the final ball. Ireland will be hoping for more of the same, but they have had a lot less cricket this summer while a lot of this Indian squad come here from the West Indies series.
Ireland will take hope from the fact that West Indies won the T20 series 3-2, and we have seven members of that touring squad here. The main news is that star bowler Jasprit Bumrah is back for India, and he’s captain too. Ireland will be hoping he comes into this series undercooked; as he has been out injured since undergoing back surgery in March and he hasn’t played since last September. An undercooked Bumrah could mean wides, full tosses and no balls – but if he’s on fire he could blow this Ireland batting apart.
Ireland will be led by Paul Sterling who has taken over from Andy Balbirnie as captain for the time being. It seems he doesn’t want the role full time, but Ireland have a big decision to make as there isn’t a standout likely captain in the squad. Hopefully we have a good game and Ireland are at their best.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
The weather in Ireland this summer has been very poor. This is definitely a game where you’re going to have to watch the radar because there will be showers at some point. Irish grounds don’t have great drainage either, so one or two heavy showers could kill the game. The positive news is that the groundsmen will be doing absolutely everything in their power – Ireland really need the money from these games; Cricket Ireland are massively in debt. Ireland fans have had a woeful summer too with Cricket Ireland giving away their home ODI series against Bangladesh to Chelmsford. In between showers, the wicket is usually good for batting in Malahide.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s hard to see past India here to be honest. However, I feel with rain likely it’s worth having a small bet on Ireland at 5.5 or bigger. They have the talent to cause an upset here – they just need their key players to fire. Plus, if we do get a rainy day and damp conditions, India could be in trouble batting first. There’s no question who the better side is here, that’s India, I just feel the conditions could make the game a lot closer than the betting suggests.
The Edge Says:
One point win Ireland to beat India at 5.5 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/IreInd
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
As I said above, this is definitely a game for watching the radar and seeing what opportunities come up from that. The toss is massive because you don’t want to be batting first on this small ground either if we have a shortened game. It’s likely the Indian bowling could be a little undercooked too, so supporting the Irish middle order could pay – Curtis Campher and George Dockrell have been in excellent form with the bat lately and they will lead the Irish middle order. Harry Tector is the big name in the Irish batting line-up, but he is more suited to the longer form of the game.
