England v India First ODI: 3 Bets to Take

With the T20I series now done and dusted, India and England are set to face each other in a series starting today. This series will form part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League with England leading the standings while India (sixth) aren’t concerned about the points on offer as they are the hosts of the tournament.

We’ve put together three bets to take for the first ODI at the Oval.

England

After losing the recently concluded T20I series 2-1 against the same opponents, England will be more than motivated to bounce back. They’ll be boosted by their 17-run win in the 3rd T20I and the return of key players such as Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.

The reigning ODI world champions have been playing well in this format. When batting first since May 2019, they have scored 300+ in ten of 13 ODIs. Five of those have seen them score 350+ including the highest-ever team total in ODI history, so there will be hopes of raising the bar once again.

England have lost just one of their last 10 ODIs and I’m backing them to add to their impressive record with a win.

Joe Root

Joe Root has scored at least 44 runs in five of his last six ODIs against India including two unbeaten centuries. Coming from a match-winning 142* at Edgbaston to win the fifth Test against the same opposition, Root will fancy his chances of another big knock.

He also has the most ODI runs at the Oval among active cricketers. Root has scored 548 runs in 10 innings, at an average of 68.50 with five fifties and a ton.

A Hundred to be Scored in the Match

There will be some quality players on display for this match with both sides naming strong squads so I expect to see at least one century. Another factor will be the venue. The Oval is typically flat, and games frequently end in high-scoring thrillers. The average first innings score in the last ten ODIs is 293 which suggests that this could be a high scoring encounter.