Cricket betting tips: South Africa versus India second Test preview and best bets

Cricket betting tips: South Africa v India

1pt Zubayr Hamza top South Africa batsman at 8/1 (Sky Bet)

1pt Marco Jansen top South Africa batsman at 33/1 (Betfred)

1pt Ravi Jadeja top India batsman at 20/1 (bet365, Boylesports)

India suffered a humiliating innings defeat in the first Test in Centurion, and now head to Cape Town searching for a series-levelling victory and hoping to restore some pride.

Ahead of the Boxing Day Test match, I wrote that India could still be suffering from a World Cup hangover, so intense was that tournament for the hosts who would eventually lose to Australia in the final.

However, more than anything, they were beaten last week because their top order was unable to cope with South Africa’s excellent pace attack in favourable bowling conditions, and also because they couldn’t find a way through Dean Elgar who set up the game for the home team with his magnificent 185 in the first innings.

India will need to be better with the bat in Cape Town, but the reason for South Africa’s struggles in recent times was never their typically strong bowling stocks, more their brittle batting in this format, and I’m not yet fully sold on them because of one Elgar special.

I argued in my Boxing Day preview that the middle order was the place to bat in South Africa, and felt somewhat vindicated following runs for Virat Kohli and a hundred from KL Rahul there.

There was also a dashing 84 not out from MARCO JANSEN who might well have won the top South Africa batsman market on another day – and he looks well worth a spin from number seven or eight.

Jansen is developing into a genuine all-rounder now. His bowling can be erratic, but he does have the tools to go a long way, and he's now averaging a touch over thirty with the bat in ODIs. His Test numbers are going the right way, too.

His half-century in Centurion was his second in this format overall, and there is surely plenty more to come from the tall, hard-hitter who is blessed with a solid technique to go with his impressive attacking game.

With the new ball always so dangerous on these shores – and it's worth noting that Elgar enjoyed plenty of luck early on last week – I'm always minded to bet the middle order in South Africa, once the ball gets soft and bowling harder work in the hot afternoon sun.

Betfred dangle with carrot with Jansen at 33/1 and that looks plain wrong, though anything from 14/1 upwards is probably worth a spin.

I want to throw two darts at this market, but have reluctantly passed over old friend Kyle Verreynne who generally bats well in tough circumstances but is only single figures, even though he might bat as low as number seven.

Another factor in me jumping ship is that I've long been a huge fan of ZUBAYR HAMZA who is in line for a recall, having been called up to the squad to replace the injured Temba Bavuma.

Hamza has been firmly on my radar for a while now and has built a robust First Class record, averaging 48.04 and scoring 17 hundreds.

Hamza has had a couple of cracks at Test cricket without fully doing himself justice yet, but he's shown promise in places like India and New Zealand, and I've certainly not lost faith in the 28-year-old who should be coming to his peak now.

He's had some time out of the game for a doping violation, but his recent form is very strong, making a couple of hundreds and a 98 in domestic cricket in the last few weeks alone, and I'm happy to back him at 8/1.

For India, I'm sticking with RAVI JADEJA who missed the first Test due to a back spasm. He should be back in Cape Town and warrants a bet in the top India batsman market at 20/1, for all Kohli could be hard to beat.

Jadeja has quietly become one of India’s most reliable batsmen away from home, and when India toured England in the summer of 2021, the left hander was regularly promoted up the order, so much faith was there in his ability to nullity James Anderson and co in seaming conditions.

Since then, Jadeja’s batting has gone up another level. He returned to England to make a brilliant 104 in a one-off Test match at Edgbaston the following summer, that after India had slumped to 98-5 in tough conditions, and then made a good 48 in the World Test Championship final at the Oval in June of this year. Scores of 37* and 61 followed on the tour of the Caribbean.

He just looks very solid to me, and certainly overpriced, so I want to be with him in these conditions in particular.

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling.

Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCareon 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org