Cricket Betting: India vs Bangladesh Test Preview
India vs Bangladesh is definitely not one of the most glamorous tie in the cricketing world; certainly not in the Test matches! But both sides have different reasons to look at the upcoming one-off Test with anticipation.
India have an eye on the upcoming series against Australia while Bangladesh are embarking on their first trip to India. In this backdrop, the one-off Test at Hyderabad starting from Thursday, February 9th makes for an interesting watch.
Tough to beat at home
India has always been a tough place to visit in Test cricket. But in the recent times, the challenge has become multifold – especially under Virat Kohli. They have recorded five consecutive Test series wins in the last 18 months and most of them comprehensively.
Kohli still has some minor issues to iron out – including the inconsistent form of opening batsmen KL Rahul and Murali Vijay. Together with Cheteswar Pujara, Kohli will be the backbone of Indian batting. Ajinkya Rahane’s return augurs well for the captain although that would mean triple-centurion Karun Nair missing out.
Bowling will revolve around Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who will look to continue their hold on batsmen from all over the world. What would make it interesting is to see if the third spinner slot would go to the unorthodox left-arm bowler Kuldeep Yadav.
Can Bangladesh upset the calculations?
Bangladesh have played just eight Tests against India thus far with just two draws being their lone success. But in recent times, the Tigers have proven to be a tough nut to crack in home conditions – similar to what they would encounter at Hyderabad.
It will be seniors who will be crucial for the visitors – Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Shakib will be the mainstay with both bat and ball while Mehedi Hasan and Taskin Ahmed will look to surprise with the ball.
Odds
India start as heavy favorites – even in betting market and odds of $1.17 (William Hill) are a testimony to that. The best Bangladesh can expect is to come out with a high-scoring draw – which is offered at odds of $6.50 (William Hill).
Ashwin has good memories of the ground with three five-wicket hauls and will look to keep his good form going ahead of a bigger battle against Aussies. At odds of $2.50 (Ladbrokes), he is a good pick to be India’s best bowler.
With the bat, Pujara has two centuries on this ground and at odds of $5 (Sportsbet), he is a good punt to be India’s top batter. For Bangladesh, it has to be Mushfiq with the bat at odds of $6.50 (Sporstbet) and Shakib at odds of $4.50 (Sportsbet) to be their best players.
TIP: Ashwin India’s Leading Wicket Taker – $2.50 at Ladbrokes
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