India vs England – 2nd Test Betting Tips

India eye comeback, England eager for consistency in second Test

India and England will face off in the second Test, starting from Saturday in Chennai.

The home team will be coming in this match low on confidence after suffering a heavy defeat in the first Test by 227 runs at the same venue.

With a spot in final of the World Test Championship (WTC) on the line, Virat Kohli-led side will be eager to bounce back and trouble the opposition in favorable conditions.

On the other hand, England will be coming in this match full of confidence after producing a near-perfect performance in the series opener.

Therefore, the visitors’ team management will be hoping to see the player continue their good performance and take an unassailable lead in the four-match series.

India Form and Team News:

After a disappointing performance in the first Test of the series, few changes might take place in the playing XI.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem had a rather poor outing on a pitch where there was a lot of assistance for the spinners and therefore, he is likely to be replaced by left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Off-spinner Washington Sundar also had an average outing on a turning track and the team management might be tilted towards including all-rounder Hardik Pandya in his place.

In the batting department, the home team will be relying on the likes of captain Kohli, Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, experienced Cheteshwar Pujara and in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant to score bulk of the runs.

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of veteran pacer Ishant Sharma and experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to produce timely breakthroughs.

England Form and Team News:

England on the other hand are coming in the match feeling good about themselves and therefore, not a lot of changes are expected in the playing XI.

However, young Dan Lawrence had a poor game for the winning team and he might make way for all-rounder Moeen Ali as Ollie Pope might be promoted to the number three spot in the batting lineup.

The inclusion of 33-year-old makes a lot of sense because he averages 42.33 with the bat in hand and has 10 wickets with the ball in five Tests in India.

In the batting department, England will be relying heavily on in-form captain Joe Root, opener Dom Sibley, star all-rounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to score bulk of the runs.

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of veteran pacer James Anderson, right-arm fast-bowler Jofra Archer and spin duo of Dom Bess, Jack Leach to produce timely breakthroughs.

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, India will be favorites to win this second game of the series to be played at Chennai. For the second Test, India are placed at 1.70 odds, while England at 3.60 odds.

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Our Tipster’s Angle

Against all odds, the England team emerged as a far superior unit in the first Test against an in-form India team who were tailormade for the conditions.

That performance proved that this English team is fully capable of competing against the very best in their own backyard.

However, team India had a really poor outing in conditions where they were expecting to dominate, something which remains very unlikely to happen again.

Therefore, the prediction is for Kohli-led India to bounce back, level the series and produce the goods to keep their hopes alive of playing in the WTC final.

Tip 1: Virat Kohli to deliver a big innings at Chennai

With the home side losing the opening Test by a comprehensive margin, there is no doubt that Virat Kohli will be looking to lead from the front and deliver a big innings in this second Test.

Since Jan 2020, Virat Kohli has struggled to produce big scores in the five-day format. In four Tests played, Kohli has accumulated 199 runs at an average of 24.87 with two half-centuries to his name.

The 32-year old will be looking to dig deep and produce something special with the bat for India in this second Test. Since Jan 2017, Virat Kohli has been leading run-scorer for India at home in Test cricket. In 15 Test matches played in India, Kohli has accumulated 1618 runs at an excellent average of 85.15 with seven centuries and two half-centuries. So we are backing to Virat Kohli 100 or more [email protected]

Conclusion

Expect India to make a strong comeback and level the four-match Test series.

1. Virat Kohli to score 100 or [email protected]

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