Another week of thrilling matches from the ICC Cricket World Cup and things get serious as we head into the latter stages of what has already been a fascinating competition. Will we see Australia defend their title or will host nation England win their first ever World Cup? Perhaps the champion will come from elsewhere? That’s yet to be seen, but it’ll be great fun finding out. Here are our top India v New Zealand betting tips.
We get started on Tuesday morning when two of the competition’s form teams face-off in India and New Zealand. Both will fancy their chances of winning this one and both squads will prepare confident they have the ability to progress to the next stage. There is only room for one winner here, however. Who that will be has kept both backers and bookies guessing?
Old Trafford Plays Host
The match will take place at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester on Tuesday and is expected to get underway at 10:30am GMT. You can follow the play live on Sky Sports and bookmakers allow us the chance to spice up our viewing with a bet on the outcome. Get your stake money down on the winner of this match or play one of the many eye-catching specials. These include top batsman, top bowler, highest opening partnership, a century to be scored, first ball, and plenty more besides.
There are over 100 markets available to bet on in this match and you’ll be interested to learn many are kept live throughout the course of the afternoon thanks to in-play betting. Prices and handicap lines are altered to keep pace with the match, and you can get involved at any point, from the first ball to the last swing. Let’s take a closer look at the recent form of both teams involved and how the betting expects this match to go.
Sharma was Impressive
India recorded an important win last time out when beating Sri Lanka on Saturday in a thrilling encounter. They were expected to get the job done and all major bookmakers had them picked but they certainly didn’t get things easy from an opponent who looked determined to make a nuisance of themselves. The final scoreboard read India 265-3 against Sri Lanka’s 264-7, leaving a seven wickets difference. Close, but the better side won in the end and fans enjoyed what was a great match. Is there more to come from this India side? Saturday’s performance suggests so.
Rohit Sharma was the best player on the park during that win and smashed his way to a fifth century when taking the game by the scruff of the neck. That win meant they finished top of their World Cup group and that was little surprise as they dominated from start to finish. Sharma has been behind everything good about his team’s performances in England this summer and on Saturday he became the first player to score five centuries in a World Cup. Impressive, but we really don’t think he’s finished, and it would come as no surprise to see him add to his tally, either on Tuesday or later in the tournament.
Speaking to the press at the end of the match, winning captain Virat Kohli credited his teammates for getting the job done and playing good cricket along the way. Commenting on the confidence that exists in his squad at the minute, Kohli explained everyone is very happy with how things are set up for the semis but stressed they were eager to avoid the risk of becoming one dimensional and they wanted to show different sides to their game.
Black Caps Hammered by England
New Zealand rounded off what was a strong group campaign with a disappointing defeat against the home nation. England have blown hot and cold at times during this World Cup but were good enough to record an eye-catching victory that day and they did it at a canter. The margin was an emphatic one, England winning by 119 runs thanks to a score of 305-8 against 186 all out. Perhaps New Zealand took their foot off the gas knowing they didn’t need the win and perhaps they came up against England in a menacing mood but it would be unfair to take anything away from the winning side who proved, once again, they will take some stopping in their quest to be crowned champions of the world in front of their own fans.
England needed the win more than their opponents at Chester-le-Street and that showed in the performance of both sides. The Black Caps, having already made their point, looked lacklustre and am little leggy as they did little more than go through the motions. It didn’t matter too much in the grand scheme of things, but fans would’ve been dismayed to see their team roll over and play dead without putting up too much of a fight and they will demand to see much better when returning to action on Tuesday. Defeat to England allowed NZ to take their eye off the ball and let their guard down briefly, but they must pick it back up again quickly.
India are Betting Favourites
Captain Kane Williamson refused to get too carried away by the difference between the teams on the scoreboard and told members of the press England benefited from the best of the conditions but he couldn’t argue they were the better team of the two and deserved to get the win.
Williamson didn’t look overly upset by the defeat, but bookies were paying close attention. India are 1/3 favourites at Ladbrokes to win this match against the 5/2 (Bet365) of New Zealand. The jolly to record the highest first 15 overs is our best bet at 8/11, top price with Ladbrokes.
Our Tip: India highest first 15 overs at 8/11 with Ladbrokes