THE EDGE: The Edge previews the India v England 1st ODI with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
India v England 1st ODI
MATCH OVERVIEW:
India and England begin their ODI series on BETDAQ Betting Exchange as the sides move to Nagpur. India comfortably won the T20 series 4-1, but this is the important series with the Champions Trophy coming up fast. England have been very poor in the ODI format recently – Marcus Trescothick got most of the flak from the UK media, and it will be interesting to see any major changes now Brendon McCullum is in position with the squad. Of course, Trescothick was only ever an interim coach while England waited for McCullum to take over all forms.
Last year – probably the last two years – the ODI squad has definitely had an “unloved child” feel to it. England have had two squads, and rarely have they been at full strength in the ODI format. Obviously all the focus will be on the Champions Trophy soon, and England need a better performance than the last ODI World Cup! India looked to have one hand on that ODI World Cup until they bumped into Australia in the Final – they went into that as the hot favourites, and once again they will be clear favourites to win the Champions Trophy. It used to be a “big three” heading into major ICC tournaments, but I do feel India and Australia have moved on from England – unless of course Brendon McCullum has oher plans!
India will welcome back some big players for this series after a little break for the T20 series. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back to headline the batting. For England, Joe Root will be welcomed back – some of the debate in England has been getting him back into the T20 squad. A fascinating series awaits; a series win for England would be a huge boost for morale heading into the Champions Trophy.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Nagpur is a ground that was used a lot when it first hosted International cricket back in 2008/2009, but it’s definitely been put back in the cupboard in recent years. We haven’t had an ODI here since 2019, and cricket has changed so much since then it’s barely worth looking at the scores to be honest. We had a Test here in 2023, and the last T20 was in 2022. I would definitely go into this game with an open mind on scoring. You could say scoring is quite tough here, but the game has moved on a lot since we last had ODI cricket.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s no surprise to see India as the favourites here. They’ve actually been within the same range for all the games on the tour – we’ve had prices very close to 1.7 to sub 1.5. The market has them 1.5 here, and I feel that’s a little short in my opinion. England’s batting will be stronger with Root back, and their bowling looks improved too. Obviously India have added some very strong players, but we don’t know what type of conditions to expect here and I just feel the value play is a small position on England at 3.0 or bigger if they drift before the start.
The Edge Says:
One point win England to beat India at 3.0 with Betdaq Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/1IndEn
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
With a lack of ODI cricket here for years, and not much reliable data from this ground in general, it is hard to form a set in-running strategy before a ball is bowled. This is one of those games where you have to take the opening five overs to get an idea what the wicket is going to play like, and then it’s a case of reaction to market movements. I’d expect reasonably tricky scoring conditions; you wouldn’t be surprised to see 250 defended for example but then we are going off conditions from years ago. I just wouldn’t go into this game expecting big runs!
