India vs England tips: 1st Test predictions, odds & free bets
Sharma to lead from the front
Without Kohli in the ranks, more responsibility will be placed on the shoulders of Sharma. India are not blessed with a great deal of experience outside of Sharma in their batting line-up.
KL Rahul is one of the few batters than has played more than 40 Test matches, but India will be relying on contributions from Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
They’ve been hit and miss in their careers in the red-ball game to date, so the onus will be on the skipper to lead from the front.
Sharma has an impressive record against England, averaging 49.20 in nine Test matches. The 36-year-old was the difference between the two sides in the second Test on England’s last tour, scoring a vital century to get India back in the series.
He loomed large again in India’s subsequent tour of England in 2021, scoring another century under pressure in the fourth Test to hand his team a 2-1 lead. His absence for the final game of the series scuppered India’s hopes of forcing a rare series win in England.
Due to his record against England and the importance of the occasion, we’re backing Sharma to start the series by scoring over 70.5 runs at odds of 5/6 with bet365.
Will Ashwin make his mark?
Ravichandran Ashwin has been a curious figure in Indian cricket of late.
Despite his outstanding record at Test match level, the 37-year-old has often been overlooked in Sharma’s line-up. It has been the case more overseas than on home soil, and Ashwin is expected to take his place against England at Hyderabad.
Ashwin boasts a dominant record in India, taking 337 wickets at an average of 20.87. He tormented England on their last tour and finished with the Player of the Series award after notching 32 wickets in four matches.
If England were concerned by his record against them in India, there should be even more fear of the off spinner given his performances in Hyderabad.
Although Ashwin has not featured in a match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium since 2018, he has taken 27 wickets in four matches at an average of 16.03.
England have tipped their hand by playing three frontline spinners, so we’re expecting a turning pitch in Hyderabad. That should play into the hands of Ashwin. We’re backing him to take three wickets or more in the first innings at odds of 4/5 with Betway.
Whose openers will fire in Hyderabad?
After years of searching for an opening partnership, England have finally landed on two solid players in the form of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. Are they Andrew Strauss and Cook in their prime? No.
But, Stokes put his faith in Crawley and Duckett and was rewarded in The Ashes as the former excelled to dispel his doubters, finishing as England’s highest run-scorer.
Duckett also performed well, even though he left runs out on the field. Now, they must adjust to the sub-continent, which will be a challenge for players that like pace on the ball.
India are also working with a relatively new opening partnership with Sharma and Jaiswal.
Jaiswal made the perfect start to his Test career with a century on debut against the West Indies, but in his six innings since he has only passed 50 once. He struggled facing South Africa’s attack and England will target the 22-year-old as a weakness.
After looking at betting apps, we’re giving Duckett and Crawley the edge to score the most runs in the first innings, despite Sharma’s prowess at the other end, at odds of 5/4 with Unibet.
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Simon Sinclair is an experienced sports journalist, who has written for national publications for football, cricket, NFL and many more. He contributes tips on a wide range of sports for The Independent.
