England vs India ODI Betting Strategy and Tips

November 13, 2008 - A.J Ryder There are plenty of interesting betting permutations for tomorrow's kick-off of England's tour of India as Kevin Pietersen's men take on a Mehendra Dhoni-led Indian XI. India will be relying on their first-rate spin attack as Ishant Sharma has picked up a knock after the Australian matches. Munaf Patel will step into his place.
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Ones to Watch

If you're backing players to step up and make a statement, then I think your eyes will be on England's Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson. Kevin Pietersen will also be obliged to put in an above average performance, but after seeing Flintoff's ton in the warm-up match last week, you know he's got something to prove. His bowling should be as steady as ever, especially if he can find the reverse swing off the pitch, but I am confident that the Indian spinners will have difficulty against Flintoff.

Additionally, many Indian fans expect big things of Harbajhan Singh, who will be integral to India's performance. If Singh takes wickets, India will win. If Singh has a mediocre match, then I think England could very well have India's number. If Singh is in form, however, England's middle order will struggle.

Betting Strategy

If England win the toss, I think they will take the chance to bowl first. The pitch is soft and still has a bit of grass on it, which should favour the seamers. England only have one specialist spinner in the side so they will be able to maximize their selection of four big quicks by bowling first. If England win the toss, it could be an important factor in them winning the match. I am also confident that the pitch could work against the Indian batsmen. They tend to like to play on the front foot, and the pitch curator Dhiraj Parsana stated that "It (the pitch) would be good for the stroke-makers too as more shots can be played on the back foot rather than when they are forced to play on the front foot on wickets that afford only knee-high bounce." England's batsmen (especially opener Ian Bell) like to play the stroke and England are also more comfortable off the back foot.

I would say the pitch conditions are setting up an England win, and despite India's momentum, the match is England's to lose.