Cricket: India betting predictions, odds for ICC World Cup

Most cricket betting sites rate India as either favourite or second favourite to claim their third ICC World Cup in England and Wales over the next six weeks.

It’s hard to argue with the odds saying they will at least make the final, given their powerful batting line-up and balanced mix of pace and spin.

India are ranked No.1 in Test cricket and No.2 behind England in ODI cricket by the ICC and in Virat Kohli have one of the truly great batsmen in world cricket. They also have the No.1-ranked one-day international bowler in the wonderful Jasprit Bumrah.

Yet here at the World Gambling List we are tipping India to fall slightly short of the final. We can’t help but feel the benign pitches will dull their attack and slightly negate the advantage a powerful top order might have given them in more taxing conditions.

Of course, the Indian team will have enormous support in England and Wales, as it does wherever it plays. But with that support comes a tremendous weight of expectation.

If they deliver their best they will certainly be in the 2019 ICC World Cup final at Lord’s on July 14.

But as a betting prospect we feel the odds are a little skinny at around $3.50 with some leading cricket bookmakers.

The WGL is taking on the fraught challenge of predicting where each of the 10 teams competing will finish in the ODI World Cup starting on May 30. We will also look at options in a few of the many betting markets available.

England and India still head betting to win the 2019 ICC World Cup final , though ODI powerhouse Australia are closing in with some good late form.

OTHER TEAMS:
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh
Afghanistan
West Indies
South Africa
Pakistan
New Zealand
Australia
England

ALSO READ:
ICC World Cup 2019 betting guide
ICC World Cup 2019 leading wicket-taker
Cricket betting sites
ICC World Cup 2019 leading run-scorer
ICC World Cup 2019 player of tournament

Prediction: Where India will finish in the 2019 World Cup

WGL prediction: Fourth. They have won this tournament twice before and are among the teams to beat. It would be a major surprise if they don’t reach the semi-finals at least.

India’s World Cup draw

June 5: South Africa v India, Hampshire Bowl, Southampton
June 9: India v Australia, The Oval, London
June 13: India v New Zealand, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
June 16: India v Pakistan, Old Trafford, Manchester
June 22: India v Afghanistan, Hampshire Bowl, Southampton
June 27: Windies v India, Old Trafford, Manchester
June 30: England v India, Edgbaston, Birmingham
July 2: Bangladesh v India, Edgbaston, Birmingham
July 6: Sri Lanka v India, Headingley, Leeds

India squad for the 2019 ICC World Cup

Coach: Ravi Shastri

Batsmen
Virat Kohli (captain)
Rohit Sharma
Shikhar Dhawan
KL Rahul
Kedar Jadhav
MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper)
Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper

Bowlers
Yuzvendra Chahal
Kuldeep Yadav
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Jasprit Bumrah
Mohammed Shami

All-rounders
Ravindra Jadeja
Hardik Pandya
Vijay Shankar

Leading wicket-taker predictions for India

A clear standout here is Jasprit Bumrah but the mesmerising paceman is well found at the top of betting to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament at $11. Many teams may elect to play conservatively against the deadly accurate Bumrah, pushing singles rather than trying to lift the run rate with boundaries. This may work against him as far as being top wicket-taker goes. So we will steer clear of him in overall betting. Rivals may look to go after Indian wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and the former may be worth a small bet at $4.50 to be India’s leading wicket taker.

Leading run-scorer tips for India

Virat Kohli is probably the best batsman of his generation, so it’s hard to argue against his chances of being the leading run-scorer in this series at odds of $7. In England last year Kohli was leading run scorer in the Test series and second-highest in ODIs even though England won both series. It’s worth remembering opener Shikhar Dhawan has strong has form in England; he was player of the series in the 2013 Champions Trophy and highest scorer in the same event in 2017. The $21 freely available for Dhawan is attractive against the $7 for Kohli, who will be heavily targeted by opposition bowlers.

India prediction – Can Team India soar again?

Pressure can do funny things to teams and no one faces more pressure than this wonderful Indian side. They are, of course, well versed in dealing with it. But this is a competition for the best of the best and you don’t have to be too far off your game to miss out. We also feel they may have missed a trick by not including T20 sensation Rishabh Pant, an explosive wicketkeeper batsman. We expect India to light up the tournament at times, but we feel the English pitches may suit other teams more. For the sake of a billion fans at home in India, we hope we are wrong and the two-time champions can make it three!

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