We have exactly what we wanted when the India vs England T20 series began. After four belting contests one remains and it is a deciding match which will take place in Ahmedabad on Saturday with the series on the line.
Usually that wouldn’t feel all that important but in a World T20 year where these two are currently the top two ranked sides in the world in this format, it is probably one of the biggest matches these two have played for some time.
India
The Indians did ever so well to keep the series alive. When they lost the toss on Thursday you could visibly see the disappointment on the face of Virat Kohli but his side bucked the trend and were able to put up a big enough score that they could just about defend. You get the feeling they will gain a lot of confidence from that because they now know that as far as they are concerned the toss isn’t everything. Yes, they would like to win it but they are not automatically beaten if they don’t.
It is becoming all the more apparent that the new brigade are starting to not just edge out the senior players but actually become more important than them and you get the feeling it is only a matter of time before certain players are put out of their misery. India have played a dangerous game in the last couple of matches going in with just five bowlers but it has worked. If they dice with death again they’ll need all five to be at their best here.
England
England will have been disappointed to let the series get away from them in the previous game. They were in the box seat when they were given the opportunity to bowl first which prior to that match had meant win the match. It didn’t turn out that way though. England were taken apart slightly by Suryakumar Yadav and conceded a score that was always going to be a challenge and never really did they look like chasing it down.
It will be interesting to see if England adjust their plans here. There have been a couple of matches now where the middle overs have let them down with the ball which has left them a little exposed at the death. That is something they won’t get away with here. The one thing they could take from defeat last time out was that Ben Stokes came back to form with the bat. Batting depth might be needed in the pressure cooker of this deciding match.
Special Offer
Open up a BetVictor account and bet £5 to get £30 in bonuses! Click the image below for this standout new account offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly
18+ New Customers only. Deposit, opt in and place a £5 qualifying bet at odds of 2.00 or greater within 7 days of opening a new account; excludes cashed out bets. Receive 2x £10 Free Sports Bets, valid on set events only at odds 2.00 or greater, expires in 7 days. Plus a £10 Game Show Bonus, selected games, wager 40x to withdraw a max of £250. T&Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
Team News
You would think it would be the same again for India after they largely dominated the previous match. If they do want to change then it could be Ishan Kishan returning with KL Rahul the vulnerable one after a terrible series to date.
England don’t tend to panic after a defeat so they could easily go in with the same team again but Chris Jordan and Sam Curran offered little in the previous game and one of them could be vulnerable if England choose to bring Moeen Ali into the side.
Betting
I’m expecting both sides to come out and be aggressive with the bat in this match and look to win it there and then. We’ve seen throughout the series that the team batting first needs a big score to have a chance of winning so now is the time to take risks to get up to that score while the chasing side has the easier pitch to bat on and more batter friendly conditions. I still think the toss is a massive factor in the match so I won’t be betting on the winner but there is a bet that I like.
That comes in the form of the sixes. We are back on the pitch that was used for the second game of the series here where there were 12 sixes in a match where England were actually quite timid with the bat after the early loss of Jos Buttler and then barely put bat on ball in the last five overs as they got outfoxed by India and their slower balls. I don’t expect lightning to strike twice in that regard and with India likely to bring Ishan Kishan back into their ranks there is even more six potential in them. We’ve just had a match where 14 sixes where hit and I expect more than 12.5 of them here.
Tips
WON – Back Over 12.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with 888sport
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
