Richard Mann has been in good form of late, and has two bets for the second ODI between England and India on Thursday.
Cricket tips: England v India ODI
2pts KL Rahul over 40.5 player performance points at 17/20 (BetVictor)
1pt Will Jacks top England batsman at 15/1 (BetMGM, VirginBet)
It’s a quick turnaround for England and India as they renew hostilities in the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday (13:00).
England were poor in game one at Edgbaston, losing five top order wickets for just 19 runs in a dramatic collapse that saw them reduced to 80-5, before Joe Root and Liam Dawson put on 121 to haul the hosts to a still below-par 258 all out.
Despite suffering a stutter of their own, India’s reply was relatively straightforward as they ran out six-wicket victors, captain Shubman Gill stroking 80 before retiring hurt with cramp.
As I argued in my preview of Tuesday’s match, I’d have India just about favourites in this format, with the tourists a vastly different and much more experienced outfit than the one that was hammered 4-0 in the preceding T20I series.
I’m not ready to fully give up on England, but this format does requires as much brain as it does brawn, and Harry Brook’s side do have improvements to make in terms of their batting, particularly the tempo with which they play in order to construct better 50-over innings more consistently.
What are the best bets?
For now, I want to back KL RAHUL in the PLAYER PERFORMANCE market, with his current line of 40.5 workable.
Rahul suffered a rare failure (1) with the bat in Birmingham, quite the surprise given his outstanding record on these shores in Test cricket, yet he still made up 46 player performance points thanks to a stumping and two catches with the gloves.
Given the current heatwave, expect spin to once again be a big factor in the last two matches, and England’s batting approach is such that charging the spinners and bringing the stumping method of dismissal into play should continue.
With Rahul averaging 60.66 with the bat in this format in 2026, he is highly likely to be in the runs again soon, suggesting he can clock up good numbers in this market before the series concludes.
BetVictor and the Flutter firms offer the same line on Jacks, with the former only marginally better at 17/20 compared to 5/6.
Jacks the value for England
For England, it was noticeable just how tough the going was on Tuesday for new opening pair Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell against Jasprit Bumrah, and that could open up the TOP ENGLAND BATSMAN market.
Bumrah gave Duckett, in particular, a torrid time, ghosting past his outside edge on any number of occasions, and Root at three could well go back-to-back, or even someone like WILL JACKS lower down the order.
It was interesting that as soon the in-form Brook walked to the crease at Edgbaston, Bumrah was immediately brought back into the attack, nicking off England’s skipper with his very first ball at him.
Expect India to adopt similar tactics again, potentially burning plenty of Bumrah overs before the middle order comes into play, and I like the look of Jacks at six or seven, given he appeared in fine touch for his 20 in Birmingham before being brilliantly caught by Rahul.
Jacks shaped up well in his new role as designated finisher last summer, making 39 and 49 against West Indies, and 39 against South Africa, and his stock rose even further in last winter’s Ashes where he displayed a different side to his game against a high-class attack and the red ball.
Perhaps his defensive technique isn’t quite there yet, but this is a young man with a high ceiling and so much more to give English cricket in all three formats.
I’ll chance my arm at 15/1.
Posted at 15:10 BST on 15/07/26
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