We’ve had our fair share of competitive matches and high-profile upsets during the ICC Cricket World Cup that has been held in the UK and shown live on Sky Sports, but this fixture won’t provide us with another shock. That’s the thinking of traders at major bookmakers who believe India are set to claim victory at a canter. Here are our top Bangladesh v India betting tips and predictions.
Bangladesh face the unenviable task of trying to stop an in-form India side on Tuesday afternoon when the rivals meet at Edgbaston in Birmingham from 10.30am GMT. The fortunes of both teams involved in this fixture have been very different from match one and that is expected to show in the final result of this game. Bookies seem convinced in their stance, but we have seen many games go against the grain already. Will this be another big priced upset?
India Suffered Defeat Last Time Out
For as good as India have been for most of this World Cup campaign so far, they come into this fixture on the back of defeat, having fallen to England as recently as Sunday. That was a must win match for the host nation and it showed in their play as they battled to a valuable victory which kept their dreams of winning a first World Cup alive. The locals were favourites to win the trophy but have been made to battle for every bit of joy that has come their way, finding out they’ll get nothing for free this summer, not even from the weather.
At the conclusion of what was a thrilling contest, England edged India by a score of 31 runs, with the board at the conclusion of the match reading England 337-7 against India’s 306-5. Spectators enjoyed a full day of cricket and it went down as one of the best matches we’ve seen from this competition so far. The win meant more to England than their opponents and that showed in the performance of both sides, the victors finding a bit more when needed.
England were impressive with the bat in hand and had Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy to thank for a stunning opening stand of 160. They were also convincing in their fielding but found India – who were determined to protect their proud unbeaten record at all costs – difficult to shift. Virat Kohli led by example and was backed up by Rohit Sharma but, in the end, they couldn’t do enough.
Kohli Takes It on the Chin
Captain Virat Kohli took defeat on the chin and refused to let his team’s first loss of the World Cup wreck their ambitions. Speaking to the waiting media at the end of the match he said every team has now lost one or two matches and his boys will take it in their stride. He took encouragement from the fact India have been playing good cricket, even in defeat, and they will learn the lessons of Sunday to come back stronger.
It wasn’t all praise for a team who aren’t used to losing cricket matches, however, and many fans took to social media to vent their fury. Many labelled the loss a humiliating surrender to England and one they simply won’t stand for, regardless of the good form shown by their side before Sunday. The match was there to be won late in the game but the indecision of a couple of players when the pressure was on, choosing to play safe and hit singles, had supporters up in arms.
Not winning didn’t seem to enrage followers as much as what appeared to be a lack of intent to win the match and the team will have to show much better on Tuesday if they are to win over supporters again. Fans have travelled here in their numbers, confident India have what it takes to win a World Cup, and they have made their presence felt from the first ball. Rest assured, if things don’t go according to plan in midweek, the team will be made to feel the full force of their anger.
India Hot Favourites in the Betting
Bangladesh won last time out when doing as expected against Afghanistan a week ago. They eased their way to a 62 runs victory against the tournament’s whipping boys and that proved to be the perfect preparation for this contest. The rest from action would’ve helped their chances also and, despite being written off by the bookies, they will arrive confident they are good enough to stick the boot into India and extend their World Cup stay.
They also beat West Indies recently but slipped up when losing to Australia on 20 June, ending on the wrong side of a 48 runs result that left their chances hanging in the balance. Bookmakers don’t seem to be overly impressed and offer 4/1 (Bet365) on the underdogs springing a surprise. William Hill trade 1/5 on India and, although that’s tight, it’s actually market best price at the time of writing. Most firms go 1/6 on the same outcome. It’s difficult to argue against that stance, but we’ve already seen nothing can be taken for granted.
We’re confident India can live up to expectations and win this match but there’s no joy to be had in backing them at the current price, not even in stacked accumulators. It’s just too short in what should be a competitive encounter. Therefore, we are drawn to the specials markets and will have our stake money down on India recording the highest opening partnership at 4/7 with Bet365. That can be added to your accumulators or there’s enough there for big hitters to back as a super single.