An emphatic run chase from India in the first ODI on Sunday has given them the opportunity to seal their series with England when the two sides meet in the second ODI in Cuttack on Thursday.
England know they have to win this match to force a decider at the weekend while an India will sew up the series with one match to spare so this will be a competitive match.
India
At no stage in the first 70 overs of the first ODI did India look like winning the game but as we predicted heading into the series the chasing side has a massive advantage throughout and they showed good resolve not to panic and with the help of yet another wonderfully paced innings from Virat Kohli they were able to get home with plenty in hand in the end.
You would say it was a concern for India how their bowlers got carted especially towards the end of the innings but they went into the series knowing it was their weak link and seem content to back their batsmen to chase any total down. The test will come if they are made to bat first.
England
England could be forgiven for thinking they had the first game won when they posted 350 and when they had India 70-4 it looked like they would defy the logic heading into the series and actually defend a score but their spinners couldn’t gain any control and in the end the result was inevitable much earlier than it was confirmed.
As with India you could argue that England need to perform better with the ball but such is one day cricket in India that there isn’t a whole lot the bowlers can do on the flat pitches. It might be that they need to broaden their horizons and aim for a score closer to 400 with the bat rather than being happy with 350.
Team News
India could change their batsmen around if they wanted but under MS Dhoni’s captaincy they were never quick to switch. It remains to be seen whether they change any quicker under Virat Kohli.
England played three spinners in the first game but that didn’t work at all. With Liam Plunkett waiting on the sidelines it might be that he comes in although we are in the age of the leg spinner so Adil Rashid might keep his place.
Barabati Stadium
India have played in 15 of the 17 ODIs that have been held on this ground. They have won 11 and lost just four here so their record is strong. England have a winning record here too. They have won three of their five matches.
History suggests this is a low scoring ground but there has only been one ODI here in the last six years and the game is completely different these days so I’m expecting a flat track and for it to be high scoring.
Betting
I expected the series to be chase dominated heading into it and that was certainly confirmed on Sunday in the opening game. I’m expecting no different here so it is hard to get involved in the game without knowing who will be batting second.
One thing I think we can be sure of is another high scoring match. It wasn’t a surprise the first game was high scoring. The strength of both sides lies with the bat and so I’m expecting the sixes to flow once again. The boundaries here are bigger than they were in Pune but they weren’t just clearing the ropes there, many of them sailed into the crowd. There were 23 sixes in that game and I’m expecting at least 13 more here.
Tips
WON – Back Over 12.5 sixes for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with William Hill
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