Richard Mann is back as England take on India in the second Test at Edgbaston from Wednesday – check out his full preview and best bets.
Cricket betting tips: England v India
2pts Joe Root to make a first innings century at 5/1 (Boylesports)
1pt Rishabh Pant to make a first innings fifty at 9/4 (Boylesports, Betway)
1pt Rishabh Pant to make a first innings century at 13/2 (Betway)
England are as short as 4/7 to take a 2-0 series lead over India in Birmingham this week, with hostilities resuming in the second Test which begins on Wednesday morning.
There are sure to be plenty of takers at those odds, given England beat India by seven wickets on this ground in 2022 thanks to a successful run chase of 378.
And England were back to breaking records last week in Leeds when again five-wicket victors over India, this time when running down their victory target of 371 as Ben Duckett put together a wonderful, match-winning hundred.
Bumrah absence would hurt India
To make matters worse for India, Jasprit Bumrah, far and away their best bowler at Headingley and in Australia in the winter, is likely to miss this week’s game as the tourists continue to carefully manage his fragile body.
It hasn’t yet been confirmed that Bumrah will sit this one out, but the noises coming out of the India camp have been less than encouraging, with head coach Gautam Gambhir maintaining that Bumrah’s long-term well-being is more important than any short-term gains.
On what we saw last week, it’s hard to see India containing this England batting line-up on a surface at Edgbaston that has become a very good one for runscoring. Not without Bumrah.
And England certainly look full of runs right now. Ben Duckett is currently being labelled as the best all-format batsman in world cricket, his opening partner Zak Crawley has started the international summer well, though not as well as Ollie Pope who has struck three centuries in his last three home Tests. Joe Root and Harry Brook come next in the batting order.
Root the best bet at Edgbaston
It's Root I want to focus on this week, and in Bumrah’s expected absence, I’ll be backing the number one ranked batsman in the world to make a FIRST INNINGS CENTURY at 5/1 (Boylesports) - 4/1 is also fine.
It’s no secret that Root has had his problems against Bumrah, but he’s by no means alone in that, and I thought he played beautifully in the second innings up in Leeds, showcasing all his class and calmness under pressure to see England home with an unbeaten fifty.
Last summer, Root looked for all money like posting a first innings ton on this ground, only to be dismissed on 87, just short of what would’ve been a fourth century here from only nine matches. He has also scored five more Test half-centuries in Birmingham, where his average currently stands at an impressive 70.76.
With the weather forecast at the time of writing set fair, Root can put this moderate India attack, minus Bumrah, to the sword.
In fact, I’ll be interested to see if India take a punt on wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav this week, particularly with so much warm weather around, as he is the sort of attacking option they were so badly lacking in Leeds. Furthermore, this England batting unit is sure to take up the challenge he would pose, for better of worse.
I think India need to pick Kuldeep, and would happily back him in the second innings onwards to be top India bowler, without Bumrah for competition.
Elsewhere, it seems fair to assume that KL Rahul will continue to be a thorn in England’s bowling attack, hot from his masterful second innings century in Leeds. That’s now three Test hundreds for Rahul in England from 10 matches – a mighty fine effort for a subcontinent batsman.
I see very few chinks in Rahul’s game, though most observers have been saying that for a while despite an underwhelming overall record, and I remain of the view that opening the batting in England against the Dukes ball is tough work.
It might get tougher still if England opt to hand Jofra Archer a spot in the final XI after he came through his return to First Class cricket for Sussex last week unscathed. We all want to see Archer back in whites for England, though my own view is that a cautious approach should in this instance be taken.
Pant to plunder England again?
Twin hundreds for RISHABH PANT at Headingley mean he now has five centuries to his name against England, including a remarkable four on these shores from just 10 Tests. Just as in Australia, Pant has found a way to thrive away from home when his attacking tendencies sometimes suggest he shouldn’t.
There is little doubt that Pant enjoyed plenty of fortune early in the second innings last week, but England’s lack of threat in terms of spin means that number five, where he is shielded from the new ball, affords him favourable terms from which to cash in.
Pant made scores of 146 and 57 on this ground in 2022, and it’s worth noting that conditions were initially far from easy in that game as James Anderson ran riot and India found themselves in early trouble, before Pant and Ravi Jadeja turned the tide.
With that hundred still relatively fresh in the memory, though not quite as fresh as his exploits in Leeds last week, I suggest splitting stakes on Pant to make a FIRST INNINGS FIFTY (9/4) and a FIRST INNINGS CENTURY at 13/2.
Preview published at 1245 BST on 30/06/25
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