INDIA v NEW ZEALAND THURSDAY: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews the 1st Test between INDIA v NEW ZEALAND with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

MATCH OVERVIEW:

Test cricket returns to India on Thursday as the first of a two Test series gets underway against New Zealand. While India hammered New Zealand 3-0 in the T20 series, you have to feel that this series will be very different. It would have been very difficult for New Zealand to play that series just after the T20 World Cup Final a number of days beforehand, and they left out some of their best players. It’s always tough to tour India and win – especially Test matches – but let’s not forget that New Zealand come into the game as World Test Champions after beating India in the final. We should have an excellent game on BETDAQ Betting Exchange.

Kane Williamson will be expected to come back into the New Zealand side, and that will be a huge boost for them. The New Zealand bowlers will have their work cut out however, the Indian batting line-up looks stronger here than the T20 series, although they will still be without Virat Kohli. They will also be without Rohit Sharma, who is the new T20 captain. I wouldn’t read too much into the easy T20 series win, even the new Indian coach said afterwards that it would have been difficult for New Zealand to play that series just after the World Cup. Another sign that the schedule is too packed at the moment, but I doubt anything will change.

The reality for New Zealand is they need to find a way to deal with the spinners in difficult conditions. With Test cricket in India, spin is always going to be a factor at some point in the game and the batters are going to come under immense pressure later in the Test match as the pitch gets slower and lower. A fascinating series ahead, India will want to set the record straight after losing the World Test championship Final to New Zealand.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

The 1st Test is taking place at Green Park in Kanpur – it was also formerly known as Modi Stadium. It has been years since we saw any form of International cricket here. Most cricket fans probably know it more from hosting four IPL games, but again you have to go back to 2017 and 2016 for those games. It’s funny the way these things work out, if you go back to 2016 to see the last Test hosted here – the traveling side was New Zealand! India batted very well, and won the game by 197 runs. To be honest with Covid19 delaying cricket in India for years and with such a gap in International cricket here I would go into this game with a totally open mind. It’s hard to see spin not being a factor, but let’s wait and see.

RECOMMENDED BET:

An interesting market here. India are heavy favourites at around the 1.64 mark and then New Zealand and the draw aren’t too far away from each other. With wicket conditions a little unknown with the huge gap in International cricket here, I wouldn’t rule out the draw. It’s not value at 4.8 as we don’t see many draws in Test cricket these days, and you’d have to imagine spin comes into at some point with the weather looking good for the Test. That leaves India and New Zealand, and I have to say I’m happy to have a small bet on New Zealand at 4.7. India will be without some of their star men, and New Zealand basically have a full squad here. They might not have wanted to play the T20 series, but their mindset will completely switch for this and they are an excellent Test side. I expect a close game, and New Zealand should trade shorter.

The Edge Says:
One point win New Zealand to beat India at 4.7 with BETDAQ Exchange.

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

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

Without knowing what conditions to fully expect here, I would definitely go into this game with an open mind when deciding on your in-running strategy. Let’s see what the wicket is like – if it’s good for batting and very spin friendly, and then form your strategy from there. Without seeing what conditions are like, I would expect it to be a little edge to bat first, so that might be a starting point – you could see the bowling side drift first and the draw come in, but going back out as batting gets tougher as the Test goes on. This New Zealand side is much stronger batting wise than the T20 Series, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see their middle order do much better. We should have plenty of twists and turns in this one!