England vs India 1st Test Betting Tips 04/08/2021

12:58, 4 Aug 2021

Senior Author

12:58, 4 Aug 2021

Zohaib Ahmed is a sports journalist whose profession is to report and edit but whose passion is to predict and bet. He’s been in the industry for more than a decade and has worked/written for various bookmakers/tipsters. His expertise is in cricket, football, MMA, boxing and basketball.

The first Test between England and India will be played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham from August 4 (Wednesday). The match is scheduled to begin at 3:30pm IST.

Teams Status

England

England will have a swift chance to avenge their 3-1 defeat to India in an away Test series earlier this year. That defeat had put England out of the running for the Test Championship final. They can get a head start in the new tournament with a win over India, who have been unimpressive over their last few visits.

The home team will be without the services of their star allrounder Ben Stokes, which means that Sam Curran should get plenty of game time. He has done well here and there for a 23-year-old, but against India he will have to step up and fill big shoes.

Since Curran bats well and so can Ollie Robinson, England might pick Jack Leach but Ollie Pope might not be fit to play. It means that Jonny Bairstow might get a rare Test start.

India

When India visited England in 2018, they were thrashed 4-1 but the visitors have long been adamant that the series was competitive despite what the eventual results say.

One man who’d be eager to impress is KL Rahul. The right-handed batsman has had a few underwhelming years in Test cricket but his last truly good knock came against none other than England on the aforementioned tour of 2018 when he scored a 149 in one of the Tests. Captain Virat Kohli will have a dilemma regarding team selection, especially at the number seven spot where he’d have to make a call on Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur in what is a classic choice between spin and added pace.

What do the Sportsbook Say

England	Draw	India
2.744	2.368	3.74
1.81	67.0	2.01
2.75	2.30	3.50

England are the favourites for the series opener. 22Bet has England priced at 1.81, India 2.01 and Draw at 67.0. MelBet has England available for 2.744, India for 3.74 and Draw for 2.368. Lastly, Betway has England priced at 2.75, India at 3.50 and Draw at 2.30.

Tipster’s Angle

Tip: Match to end in a Draw

For some odd reason, 22Bet has the Draw priced at a whopping 67.0. It’s rare for Tests to end in draws but at odds such as these, it warrants a punt. It could be a glitch but it doesn’t matter. Let’s benefit from the book’s generosity.

Tip: Highest opening partnership – England @ 2.0

It’s no secret that the Indian batsmen do not fare too well in England. It’s even more difficult for their top-order batsmen, who have the face when the ball is moving in every direction. Meanwhile, none of the Indian pacers are known to be great ball movers, so England openers may not have a massive challenge in front of them. On the basis of this, we think that backing England for the highest opening partnership with 22Bet is a decent play.

Conclusion

England are at home and even if they are missing Stokes, they have plenty on their roster that could ensure them the advantage, the match and even the series.