India vs England – 2nd T20 Tips and Betting Preview

The T20 series between India and England continues on Saturday when the two sides move from Kolkata to Chennai for the second match of the scheduled five and one which could be pivotal to the overall outcome of proceedings.

India emphatically drew first blood in the opening game and can move two up with three to play if they come out on top here. England will be looking to find the win which will level the series so this should be a competitive contest.

India

I would imagine India were expecting a much stronger challenge from England than they got in that opening game but even so the way they demolished them would have been really pleasing. They could easily have coasted to their target but that might have given England the belief that there wasn’t too much wrong. To dismantle them the way that they did will have the opponent thinking they are a long way behind and have their work cut out here.

That win in the first game was set up by a wonderful bowling performance where they had England under pressure early on in the innings and never relented once they had their foot on the throats of the tourists. They let Jos Buttler get away from them but even then he didn’t do as much damage as he could have done. India will be looking for a repeat of that showing here and in these conditions if they get it they will be tough to beat.

England

The first game certainly wasn’t the opening to a new era that England would have wanted. You would imagine if the Test team under Brendon McCullum is anything to go by then the white ball teams are going to play with aggression and look to dominate the opposition but if that was the plan in the series opener then it was one which never got off the ground and at no stage really were they ever getting any control of that match. A big improvement is needed here.

Jos Buttler scored runs at number three but you wonder if in time Ben Duckett will drop into the middle order and Buttler will go back up to the top of the innings. England offered enough with the ball to suggest that if their batters can come good and get hold of the Indian bowling that England can get themselves out of the early strife they have got themselves into. You would imagine many of those batters who have been playing in completely different conditions to this in Australia and South Africa will come on for the run.


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Team News

India have a doubt over Abhishek Sharma who was seen limping out of training on the eve of the match. Dhruv Jurel could come in for him if he is forced to miss out. Mohammed Shami is expected to be ready for this match.

England could be forced into a change too with Jacob Bethell ill in the lead up to the match. Jamie Smith has been called into the squad as cover if he isn’t fit and could keep wicket if he comes in. Brydon Carse is expected to replace Gus Atkinson.

Betting

England came up a long way short in a trial by spin in the opening game of the series and they are likely to get even more of that in this match on a Chennai wicket which usually holds up and offers plenty for the spinners. In that first game the spinners bowled 12 overs and went for a combined 5-67 and there is every chance that if he plays that Abhishek Sharma will turn his arm over and add to the overs of spin bowled here so England need a real improvement in that regard.

I think the England batting unit is an out and out batter short with Jamie Overton at seven. He might be ok in England, Australia or South Africa where he has more chance of getting his front foot out of the way and smacking it miles but here in India I’m not convinced. England only hit 16 boundaries on a perfectly good Eden Gardens wicket in the first game of the series yet they have a 21.5 boundaries line for this one. While there are more to come from the openers, I expect a real squeeze in the middle overs and this line could just be a nudge too high.

Tips

Back England – Under 21.5 boundaries for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365