SUNDAY T20 WORLD CUP: The Edge previews India v West Indies with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
India v West Indies
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The T20 World Cup Super 8 reaches its dramatic climax on Sunday as India face West Indies on Betdaq Betting Exchange ! India find themselves in a must win situation iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, and given how they have been the red-hot favourites for the tournament, not many would have seen this coming. South Africa have already secured top spot in Group 1 after hammering India, and now after all the drama we’ve had at this tournament, from the Pakistan boycott saga to Zimbabwe’s incredible result against Australia, a double Super Over thrown in for good measure, we now have a straight knockout match between two of cricket’s most explosive sides.
India’s campaign has been a rollercoaster. They came through the group stage unbeaten and then everything changed in the Super 8s. South Africa absolutely demolished them by 76 runs in Ahmedabad – bowled out for 111 chasing 188 doesn’t happen often when you’re India! That ended their twelve-match winning streak at T20 World Cups and sent shockwaves through the entire tournament. On paper, everyone will be expecting India to win here – West Indies haven’t been the force of old for quite a while now – but they do have one thing. A punchers chance! They have plenty of big hitters; their 254/6 against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 opener was the second-highest total in men’s T20 World Cup history – and no team has ever hit more sixes in a single innings.
This Super 8 Group has actually been classic West Indies. They came unstuck against South Africa on Thursday – their top order collapsed to 43/4 inside four overs. South Africa absolutely hammered them in the chase, only losing one wicket. West Indies cricket is boom-or-bust. India will be hoping they are more bust than boom given all the pressure is on the home side.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Eden Gardens will be absolutely rocking. Over 66,000 fans will pack the ground and we should have an entertaining game. Eden Gardens have been very good for batting in T20 in recent years – we have had some wild IPL games here. India will be pleased to see a good forecast as a washout would send West Indies through on net run rate. The first inning scores here have been 182/5 (won), 207/4 (won), 152 all out (chased), 202/7 (won) and 165/6 (won). You have to watch for dew here; obviously we have had a lot of smaller sides play their games here but you’d have to expect good batting conditions and a slight edge for the chasing side with dew.
RECOMMENDED BET:
No surprise to see India as the red-hot favourites. There is a big gulf in class between the sides on paper – India are trading 1.3 at the time of writing. The big concern for West Indies is obviously that there is always a collapse around the corner; we saw that with the top order in the South African game. However, I still feel they are worth backing for a small investment at 4.1 or bigger. The Indian bowling hasn’t been bomb proof, and obviously West Indies have the hitters in good conditions. Obviously West Indies face a massive task here, but I do feel the game will be closer than the odds suggest.
The Edge Says:
One point win West Indies to beat India at 4.1 with Betdaq Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/WCInWi
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Given the likely dew factor, you’d have to feel that chasing will be a slight edge here. We could easily have difficult conditions for the bowlers in both innings though. Given the gulf in class between the sides, West Indies probably have to bowl first and get the edge chasing. Given the short boundaries and the dew, 200 could be chaseable. I would expect the batters to be on top in both innings – I don’t see this as a game to support either bowling side.
