India and England renew hostilities in Cuttack on Sunday morning – check out Richard Mann's preview and best bets here.
Cricket betting tips: India v England ODI
1pt Joe Root top England batsman at 7/2 (Sky Bet)
1pt Joe Root to make a fifty at 7/4 (General)
It was a familiar story for England as they were beaten by four wickets in the first ODI in Nagpur on Thursday.
England’s batting once again flattered to deceive, slipping from 75-0 to 248 all out, despite impressive fifties from captain Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell.
Bethell’s case is a curious one. He batted beautifully on Thursday while those around him bucked under pressure, and it’s strange to see a young man currently tasked with batting at number three in the Test team, because his more experienced colleagues refuse to take on that role, then forced to wait his turn down at number six in ODIs.
Root still key for England
It doesn’t reflect well on JOE ROOT and Harry Brook, the latter suffering another failure in Nagpur.
I’m inclined to be less critical of Root and there were encouraging signs on his return to the ODI side, his promising 19 following strong returns in the SA20 where he averaged 55.80 in eight matches.
If anything, Thursday was another reminder of Root’s importance to this team, and the need for him to play that anchor role and bat the majority of England’s innings.
As with the Test team, if Root doesn’t make runs, England generally find success hard to come by.
I’m happy to row in with the Yorkshireman again, backing him to be TOP ENGLAND BATSMAN and TO MAKE A FIFTY.
Gill gunning for more success
A player in a similar mould to Root is Shubman Gill who stroked a fabulous and ultimately match-winning 87 in the series opener.
In excellent company. One down, 2 to go 🩵 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/2VgVHcSTyG
— Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) February 6, 2025
Gill now averages an astonishing 58.90 in this format and is sure to prove popular in the top India batsman market again.
He’s usually a safe bet in the milestones markets, too, and with Virat Kohli likely to return from injury on Sunday morning (8:00am, UK time) and slot back into the India side at number three, Gill might find himself back opening the batting.
The one negative is that I do think Saqib Mahmood is a good match-up to Gill with the new ball, if he can get his inswinger hooping. Gill has always been a prime LBW candidate, but once set, is clearly an irresistible force in this format.
All things considered, I can let him go on this occasion, preferring to stick with Root in Cuttack.
Posted at 1135 GMT on 07/02/25
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