India v England betting tips, prediction & odds; 1st Test preview
Welcome to our India v England betting tips, prediction and odds analysis for the 1st Test at Chennai starting on Friday, February 5.
This is the first of a classic four-Test series between two of the heavyweights of world cricket.
India are ranked second behind New Zealand in the ICC Test rankings, while England are fourth. India have the chance to go top.
Bookies expect a one-sided contest though, with India as short $1.17 to win the series with international bookies, while England are $11, and a series tie is at $7.
These teams last clashed in Test cricket in 2018 when England triumphed 4-1, but that was in England and very different conditions confront them in India, with the usual raucous crowds also missing as the matches are played behind closed doors. When England toured India in 2016, the home team won the five-Test series 4-0, with Virat Kohli the player of the series.
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Both teams enter this series in sterling form, especially India. They are coming off a memorable 2-1 series win in Australian when they overcame the absence of skipper Virat Kohli and a hefty injury toll to come from 1-0 down on arguably the hardest tour in Test cricket.
Meanwhile, England are fresh off a 2-0 series win in Sri Lanka and can call on paceman Jofra Archer and champion all-rounder Ben Stokes, who were rested from the Sri Lanka series.
India, though, also have some important inclusions in Virat Kohli, pace bowler Ishant Sharma, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and left-arm spinner Axar Patel.
It will be a tough call for the Indian selectors to leave out some of the players who did so well in the final Test win at the Gabba against Australia.
England were dealt a blow in the final days leading up to the opening Test when No.3 batsman Zak Crawley fell heavily and suffered a suspect fractured wrist. They may have to experiment with the in-form Joe Root, who plays his 100th Test, coming in at first drop.
India v England series schedule
Test matches
February 5-9: 1st Test, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 9.30am IST (4am GMT)
February 13-17: 2nd Test, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 9.30am IST (4am GMT)
February 24-28: 3rd Test, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, 2.30pm IST (9am GMT)
March 04-08: 4th Test, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, 9.30am IST (4am GMT)
T20 Internationals
March 12: 1st T20I, Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, 7pm IST (1.30pm GMT)
March 14: 2nd T20I, Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, 7pm IST (1.30pm GMT)
March 16: 3rd T20I, Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, 7pm IST (1.30pm GMT)
March 18: 4th T20I, Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, 7pm IST (1.30pm GMT)
March 20: 5th T20I, Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, 7pm IST (1.30pm GMT)
ODIs
March 23: 1st ODI, Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, 1.30pm IST (8am GMT)
March 26: 2nd ODI, Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, 1.30pm IST (8am GMT)
March 28: 3rd ODI , Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, 1.30pm IST (8am GMT)
India Test squad (first two Tests)
Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (WK), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur.
England Test squad (first two Tests)
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, James Anderson.
Continue reading for our free India v England tips for the 1st Test at Chennai starting on Friday.
India v England 1st Test odds
Head to head odds: India $1.42, England $5.50, draw $5.75
Man of the match betting:
$7 Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin
$8.50 Cheteshwar Pujara
$10 Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma
$11 Joe Root, Shubman Gill
$12 Ben Stokes, Mayank Agarwal
$13 Jack Leach
$15+ others
Top run-scorer India 1st innings odds:
$3.25 Virat Kohli
$3.75 Cheteshwar Pujara
$4.34 Rohit Sharma
$4.50 Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill
$6 Ajinkya Rahane, Lokesh Rahul
Top run-scorer England 1st innings odds:
$3 Joe Root
$5 Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes
$6.50 Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence
$7.50 Dominic Sibley, Ollie Pope
$8 Jos Buttler
Top wicket-taker 1st innings India odds:
$2.88 Ravichandran Ashwin
$3.50 Jasprit Bumrah
$5 Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
$6 Hardik Pandya
Top wicket-taker 1st innings England odds:
$3.75 Jack Leach
$4 Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad
$4.34 Dom Bess, James Anderson
$4.50 Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
$5 Olly Stone
$6 Ben Stokes
India v England betting tips
Our cricket tipsters have examined the odds and found several India v England tips for the first Test.
Ravichandran Ashwin man of match at $7
The all-rounder is on home turf in Chennai and should prove a handful for the England batters with his off-spin, especially as the match wears on.
Jofra Archer top wicket-taker England 1st innings
Archer can produce devastating spells and while spin should become more important as the match wears on, Archer will be difficult to deal with early and should be back to peak fitness after missing the two Tests in Sri Lanka. He could be especially dangerous if India bat first in the match.
India v England prediction 5/2/2021
The Chennai ground is something of fortress in Indian cricket and they have not lost a Test there since 1999 against Pakistan. The last England played here was in 2016 and they made 477 in their first innings … and lost by an innings and 75 runs as India made an incredible 7-759 with Karun Nair making 303 not out! The scoring won’t be that crazy this time around but we expect India to triumph with England’s batting line-up, aside from Root, looking a little shaky. Our final India v England prediction? India to spin out England in the second innings to win.
India v England Test Details
Britain: Sky Sports Cricket, Main Event. India: Star Sports. Live stream: Disney plus Hotstar. Australia: Fox Sports, KAYO.
International readers can check out the best cricket betting sites.
The game starts at 9.30am local time (4am UK time) on February 5, 2021.
