India v South Africa 1st One-day International, Dharamsala, betting preview, tips

India have been installed red-hot favourites for their three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting at Dharamsala on Thursday.
On recent form that is something of a surprise; South Africa are fresh off thrashing Australia in a three-match ODI series at home, while India were cleaned up 2-0 in the Test series against New Zealand after also losing the ODI series in NZ.
But India on home soil are a far different proposition and they also have three valuable inclusions for this series that will help them get back on a winning footing.
Gun all-rounder Hardik Pandya, paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar and opener Shikhar Dhawan are all back in contention after recovering from various injuries.

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Given the struggles of the top order in the Test and one-dayers against New Zealand, the return of the dashing Dhawan should be particularly important.
South Africa were impressive in dispatching the strong Australian team 3-0 without any sizeable contribution with the bat from star opener Quinton de Kock, with several of the lesser lights stepping up. They will need de Kock to fire in a country where he has been a star the Indian Premier League.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala is a wonderfully picturesque ground with breathtaking views of the mountains.
Only four previous ODIs have been played there, with India winning two and losing two, and the pacemen getting a chance to make early inroads.
Read on for our India v South Africa tips and odds update for the first one-day international at Dharamsala on Thursday.

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India v South Africa ODI series schedule

Thursday, March 12: India v South Africa, 1st ODI, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, 10am (local time)

Sunday, March 15: India v South Africa, 2nd ODI, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 10am

Wednesday, March 18, India v South Africa, 3rd ODI, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, 10am

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Squads for India v South Africa ODIs

India
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill.

South Africa
Quinton de Kock (captain, wicketkeeper), Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lundi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj.

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India v South Africa 1st ODI odds

Head to head odds: India $1.40, South Africa $2.85

For more odds check out Williamhill.com.

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India v South Africa 1st ODI betting tips

As with all our cricket previews we provide our best bests for the match. For more info read our guide to betting on cricket.

Virat Kohli top run-scorer for India at $3.50

The Indian captain and superstar had a miserable tour of New Zealand, but this match is a great chance for him to run back into form. At his past two ODI innings at this ground he has made a century and unbeaten 80-odd. Against a Proteas attack really lacking experience in these sorts of conditions, we Kohli to return to his imperious best. If you are betting from South Africa, check out the top ZA betting sites.

Jasprit Bumrah top wicket-taker for India

We have gone with the class batsman so we might as well double up and go with the world-class paceman here too. Bumrah also has not been at his best, with the Kiwis largely playing out his overs in the T20 and ODI series to make sure he did not do too much damage. His pace and accuracy always come as a shock to new opponents.

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India v South Africa predictions – 1st ODI, March 12, 2020

India have won eight of their past 10 one-day internationals against South Africa. They will relish being at home again, where they are a much more dangerous side. South Africa are at the end of a long, tough summer and while they have shown signs of re-emergence, we expect a big win to India to start off this series.

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