Cricket betting tips: Cricket World Cup

sportinglife.com

12 October 2023

Cricket betting tips: India v Pakistan

1pt Both Teams to score 325+ Runs Each at 5/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)

The biggest match in cricket takes place on Saturday, 9.30am, UK time, as India and Pakistan lock horns in Ahmedabad.

India will start as warm favourites having kicked off their World Cup campaign with impressive victories over Australia and Afghanistan, and they beat Pakistan comfortably at the recent Asia Cup.

Pakistan were ultimately disappointing in that tournament, but it’s worth remembering they had India on the ropes in their first match with India there, before a middle-order fightback from the latter and then rain saw the points shared.

Since then, Pakistan have made a bright start to their own World Cup bid, winning their opening two matches, and though India will present by far their toughest test yet, they’ll fancy their chances of pushing the hosts close.

Strong batting line-ups set for battle

A pace attack led by Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf is always to be respected, but the batting looked very good when Pakistan chased down 345 against Sri Lanka earlier in the week, winning by six wickets.

Brilliant centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique set up that run chase, and Pakistan fans should be encouraged the batting has looked so strong, despite a quiet couple of games from captain and star player, Babar Azam. Once he finds form, the picture could look even brighter.

India, too, have shown up really well with the bat. Rohit Sharma struck a brilliant century against Afghanistan, KL Rahul a fine, unbeaten 97 against Australia, while Virat Kohli has made a brace of half-centuries already.

With opener Shubman Gill expected to return to the top of the order on Saturday, there is so much batting strength on both sides that the possibility of another high-scoring contest is high.

The feature of this World Cup so far has been big scores, with 300 regularly breached, and 350, one score of 364-9, and South Africa’s 428-5 against Sri Lanka.

Ahmedabad pitch promises big runs

In the previous game on this ground, the tournament opener, England only managed 282-9, but New Zealand chased that down with ease, only losing a single wicket as they secured victory inside 37 overs to suggest this is a good place to bat.

And we know that to be true from the Indian Premier League. 200 or above was only par in IPL 2023 at this venue, and in fact, Gujarat Titans posted 214-4 batting first in the final, before Chennai Super Kings won off the final ball when chasing down their revised target of 171 in 15 overs.

In the Qualifier two days earlier, again played in Ahmedabad, 233-3 played 171 to once again underline that this ground treats batsmen well.

When you consider how small some of the boundaries have been across India so far – seemingly in a concerted effort to produce bigger scores and more entertainment – it’s hard to get away from betting runs.

It’s almost surreal to see quotes of 9/5 for both teams to score 300+ runs in an ODI, but that’s where we are right now. I’ve leave that alone and instead lower my stakes for a wager on BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 325+ RUNS EACH at 5/1.

If both teams continue to bat as they have been, and with conditions again expected to be favourable to run-scoring, those sorts of numbers are certainly in play.

King Kohli set to shine on biggest stage

I mentioned at the top of the piece how well Kohli has started the tournament, and but for a late dismissal against Australia when within touching distance of the winning line, he would have been Man of the Match in that game, just as he was against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup last year.

The archetypal big-match player, this is the type of setting in which Kohli thrives. Don’t be surprised if he proves the star turn in the biggest match in cricket on Saturday.