1st ODI: England vs India
England and India meet in the opening ODI at Trent Bridge on Thursday as the best teams on the planet and hot tips for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
We’ll see some of the world’s best players in action in a game which is too close to call. The victors in this series will have a psychological advantage come next year.
England will arrive in confident mood, top of the ICC one day rankings and on the back of a 5-0 annihilation of the old enemy, Australia. But India are formidable opponents and gave England a taste of what it can do in the T20 series, winning 2-1 which prompted England skipper Eoin Morgan to chastise his team and urge them to do better in the 50 over contest.
The Nottingham crowd is sure to enjoy a blistering day’s cricket in the sunshine and you can join in the fun with the best odds and betting advice here at SBOBET.
It promises to be a cracker!
Talking Points
England will arrive at Trent Bridge full of determination, striving to keep hold of their top spot and desperate to avenge the T20 defeat while the wound heals.
And they have the weaponry to beat any side in the world, which they aim to prove against the ICC ranked second side. Indian cricket fans know Jos Buttler very well as he hit a run of five consecutive fifties for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, which prompted a recall to the England test side where he continued his impressive run of form. On his day, the Lancashire hitman can be the most devastating batsman in the world.
Add to that the form of Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy and the return of Ben Stokes and we can expect the ball to be flying into the upper tiers of the stands at Trent Bridge. When fast bowler Liam Plunkett hits a ball it stays hit! And with Moeen Ali in the top five all-rounders in the world and Adil Rashid bowling well against Australia, there is danger throughout the team.
We haven’t forgotten test skipper Joe Root who will be looking to rediscover his form in the ODIs after he was dropped from the England team for the T20 decider. He’s been a key player in all forms of the game, carrying his side on numerous occasions; and he could be crucial in a game where England’s batting line-up will face better spinners than they are used to.
YS Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have often had the measure of the Lions’ batters in recent times, and they are always likely to have a good total to bowl at with the wealth of batting talent their side possesses. The excellent Virat Kohli is the best ODI batsman in the world while the bang in form Rohit Sharma is in 4th position in the ICC rankings.
Betting sites around the world will monitor this series closely to compile a comprehensive dossier in the run-up to the World Cup. Skipper Kohli also has Shikhar Dhawan in his ranks, a player who’ll be a big threat to England’s bowling attack. And with the vastly experienced MS Dhoni capable of smashing all-comers out of the ground, there could well be fireworks.
But Sharma could well be the man England fears the most on current form, winning the T20 series with a world-class hundred.
History
India have the upper hand at the moment, winning the last ODI series in England in 2014, 3-1, while England won the test series by the same score. Joe Root top scored for England in both series but couldn’t stop India winning the Trent Bridge ODI by six wickets.
I think this England vs India opener on the same ground will be a closer affair. The dry weather the UK has experienced for the last six weeks could help India’s spinners, though if we get a little cloud cover expected in Nottingham this week, England’s seamers could come to the fore.
More recently, England suffered a 4-0 drubbing in the Pataudi Trophy in India in 2016/17 and then lost the ODI series, 2-1. However, the Lions left India with a vital five-run win in the third at Eden Gardens in Kolkata to give them belief that winning in Asia is possible.
Ben Stokes played a huge part with bat and ball as one of England’s men for the big occasion. Now, they will need to stand tall to rescue the momentum after the T20 series defeat where Sharma and Kohli shared a quick 89 stand, the former finishing with his brilliant unbeaten century.
And the Three Lions will try to make some inroads into a head to head deficit they have in ODIs since 1974. India have won 52 of 96 meetings to England’s 39, with two matches tied and three with no result.
What are the odds?
England are backed to end this run of ODI defeats against India and are favourites to win the crucial opener at odds of 1.78, with India at 2.01 to win.
Of all the teams well backed for a 2019 World Cup triumph, England surely have the most firepower. And it will be on show at Trent Bridge, making the home players favourites to smash the most sixes, at odds of 1.80, while India are at 2.25 and the draw at 7.00
The handicap betting offer for the most sixes has England at 1.81 with a -0.50 handicap and India at 2.05 with that +0.50 start.
Both sides will want to make a fast start and the highest opening partnership is hard to call with each at 1.93.
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