After a thrilling start to their England tour, where they have won a closely fought T20I series 2-1, India will hope to ride on the success as they get ready for a three-match ODI series.
Starting from Thursday July 12th, England and India will lock horns in what promises to be another exciting series between two top teams. Both sides will have one eye on getting their preparation right for the next year World Cup and that makes this series even more competitive.
England – another chance to underline their favourites tag
A lot many analysts have already put England up as the favourite to lift the ODI World Cup title next year. There is a lot of time to go until then, but England have been in scintillating form thus far. They have won ten of their last 11 bilateral ODI series – not considering the one-off ODI loss to Scotland. With a unique template of aggressive cricket post their debacle in the 2015 World Cup, England have set lofty standards that sides are struggling to replicate.
With Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, and Alex Hales setting the tone at the top of the order and the likes of Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler to follow – England have the right mix of aggression to pile up top scores. Having the spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid gives them an extra dimension, while Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett complete a very strong unit. On paper, at least, England start the stronger of the teams.
India – strong in batting and spin departments
India won’t be an easy opponent for England, considering their strong batting and spin departments. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are two of the hungriest batsmen in world cricket, at least in white ball cricket.
With players like MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya beefing their middle-order, this Indian side will be confident of chasing anything that England sets them up. With the ball too, the presence of wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal gives them an attacking option. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah due to injury is a worry and may slightly weaken their cause, but India do look balanced enough to push England in the series.
Stats
- England have won 10 of their last 11 bilateral ODI series – featuring more than one match.
- England have won 3 of their last 4 bilateral ODI series at home against India.
- India have won their last 9 bilateral ODI series.
- India have won their last 4 bilateral ODI series against England.
Picks
There are a few different markets that we fancy here. England to win the series looks a good bet given their current ODI form and at $1.80 it's pretty good value. Correct score might be a tougher pick but you cant look past India securing at least one match with the talent they have available. A 2-1 scoreline in favour of England looks the value play at $2.37.
England to win the series
$1.80
Rohit Sharma top Indian run scorer
$4.00
