England's T20I series with India continues in Rajkot on Tuesday afternoon, where Richard Mann is hoping for big runs.
Cricket betting tips: India v England T20I
2pts both teams to score 200+ runs in the match at 13/2 (Sky Bet)
1pt Ben Duckett to make a fifty in the match at 7/2 (General)
England took a big step forward from their heavy defeat in the opening match of the series, only narrowly going down in Chennai on Saturday.
The series moves to Rajkot on Tuesday, with the action getting under way at 1.30pm, UK time.
Tilak Varma was India’s hero at the weekend, striking an impressive 72 not out from 55 balls, with Jofra Archer coming in for plenty of punishment as he conceded 60 runs from his four overs.
Bright spots for England were Brydon Carse, who followed a handy cameo with the bat with three wickets, and Jamie Smith who struck 22 from just 12 balls on his T20I debut.
With Smith impressing and Jacob Bethell expected to recover from illness soon, Phil Salt really does need a score at the top of the order. Don’t be surprised if Smith gets a go opening the batting before the end of the series.
Runs expected in Rajkot
More pressing is England's batting against spin, but the last T20I played on this ground saw India post 228-5 against Sri Lanka in January, 2023. In the same year, Australia scored 352-7 in a ODI against India. Just a matter of weeks ago, India’s women’s team hit 435-5 against Ireland in a ODI at this venue.
England will hope conditions will be good for batting, then, and that was again the case in last year's Test match between India and England, when the hosts twice crossed 400.
I'm inclined to think we’ll see another sound surface for batting, and I really do expect England to start warming to the task before long. From game one to game two, the batting improved, and despite a mountain of mistakes, they still posted 165-9 in Chennai.
Jos Buttler has looked in outstanding touch in both games so far, and twice has Harry Brook started brightly without kicking on. With Smith now in the mix, and Carse adding depth lower down, England should be able to post a big score before long.
This ground could present them with a perfect opportunity to do just that.
I have no concerns about India’s batting. Varma’s solo special on Saturday followed Abhishek Sharma’s rapid 79 in game one. With the outstanding Suryakumar Yadav sure to make his mark at some stage, and depth all the way down, this is a fearsome line-up.
As such, BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 200+ RUNS looks worth a bet at 13/2.
Deadly Duckett ready to shine
Circling back to England’s own batting, I’m also going to advise backing BEN DUCKETT TO MAKE A FIFTY at 7/2.
I’m clearly banking on favourable batting conditions, but I can’t believe Duckett won’t come good at some stage following two low scores in the first two matches.
Prior to that, Duckett’s form was exceptional in the Big Bash, the diminutive left hander making three fifties in only seven appearances and striking at 154.77. It’s worth noting that the Melbourne Stars top order generally struggled in that tournament on some tough pitches, but Duckett was able to overcome that.
Clearly, this is a huge step up in class, but Duckett demonstrated his white-ball credentials with a hundred and two fifties in five ODI’s against Australia last autumn, and his class at Test level is not in doubt.
His form hasn’t dropped off overnight and he should bounce back before long, hopefully on Tuesday when 7/2 to make a half-century does appeal.
Posted at 1125 GMT on 27/01/25
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