THE EDGE: The Edge previews the Cricket World Cup clash between INDIA v SOUTH AFRICA with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
India v South Africa
MATCH OVERVIEW:
We have the highest quality fixture at the Cricket World Cup so far on BETDAQ Betting Exchange this Sunday. India and South Africa have been the best two sides at this World Cup by a distance, and we have a fascinating game ahead at Eden Gardens. They sit one and two in the table at the moment, and it’s been hard to fault either side. India remain unbeaten, while South Africa have only had one loss – ironically a shock loss against the Netherlands were they started the game trading around 1.06!
With both sides certain for the Semi-Finals, this could easily be the Final if they keep hold of their one and two positions. That makes this game very important; there’s definitely a mental edge to be had here. South Africa’s batting has been immense; can India put a dent in their confidence? Can South Africa absolutely hammer the Indian bowlers around the park? With so much possibly on the line in two weeks’ time, there’s a lot to be gained here. You might say we won’t get there because South Africa will choke the minute we get to the knock out stage; obviously that is a tag they are going to have around them until they break free of it. Winning a World Cup in India would be the greatest statement of all.
Although there has been major issues with how the tickets have been sold by the BCCI, we should have a packed house. The atmosphere might be the best of the World Cup to date. We have two sides in prime form, edging closer to the knock outs in a World Cup. Hopefully the fixture lives up to the billing!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Eden Gardens look an immense stadium from the outside, but Indian fans have been known to complain about the facilities inside the stadium. It appears to be in desperate need of repair in the stands, but we usually have quality cricket here. In the IPL this has become a very high scoring venue – the wicket is usually good for batting and despite the size of the stadium, the playing area isn’t too big so we usually get a lot of sixes. That hasn’t worked out so far at the World Cup. The first inning scores have been 229 all out and 204 all out. Netherlands even defended the 229 in the first game here. We have two higher quality sides with the bat here, but I wouldn’t go in here expecting a big score but rather have an open mind.
RECOMMENDED BET:
What a fascinating game we have here. It’s intriguing to see how the South African batters will go against the best attack in the tournament, in their home conditions. One observation you might say about South Africa is while they have smashed it to all parts while batting first, they have struggled chasing. They failed to chase 245/8 from Netherlands and then were nine down chasing 270 all out against Pakistan. Perhaps they are better suited to batting first, there’s less run rate pressure. Another thing you could say is that have they been fully tested against a brilliant batting side when bowling first. India look to tick all the boxes, while we do still have some questions about South Africa. I’m happy with a reasonably small bet on India at 1.6.
The Edge Says:
One point win India to beat South Africa at 1.6 with Betdaq Exchange.
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/IndSth
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
We could easily have a lot of flip-flopping favourites in this one, but the way things have gone in Eden Gardens we could also have a quick 1.01 train. So far it has paid to bowl first, which is fascinating because you’d say South Africa like to bat first. Higher quality sides might mean higher scores here though, and as I said above I wouldn’t go into this game thinking bowl first and win judging off the opening two games. There aren’t many areas from either side that you’d want to take on here; the best angle might be taking on South Africa if they chase, but given we’ve had low scores here I’d want to make sure India have a reasonable score on the board before taking that position.
