England v India 1st Test – 04/08/2021

England v India 1st Test Preview – Betting Tips, Latest Odds, Predictions – 04/08/2021

England and India clash in the first Test of this five-game series.

India dominated in home conditions when they last met and England will want to put the right here.

Explore our free cricket tips for this match.

England v India 1st Test – Match Preview

England suffered a demoralising defeat in India when these sides last met and it will be interesting to see how the visitors get on now the tables are turned.

India lost the Test series 4-1 the last time they visited to play England in 2018. They also lost the World Test Championship final to New Zealand earlier this year.

Where: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

When: Wednesday, 04 August 2021

Start time: 15:30 IST (10:00 GMT)

Pitch conditions: Trent Bridge should offer a good surface for batting. It has historically helped pace attacks in the past but batting first and setting a big total is likely the preferred option.

Weather conditions: There will be some overcast conditions at the start of this Test and a slight chance of light rain at some stage. However, there will also be bright spells so play shouldn’t be impacted too much.

England v India 1st Test – Latest Odds

England are made favourites to win this first Test. They can be backed at 2.2 with bet365.

India are available at 3.0 with the same betting site. The draw has been priced at 3.75.

England v India 1st Test – Team News

• Ben Stokes – The all-rounder is missing from this series after taking an indefinite break from the sport due to mental health reasons.
• Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer – Both bowlers are missing through injury. Archer is still on the comeback trail after elbow trouble, while Woakes picked up a bruised heel.
• Ollie Robinson – The seamer returned to the England set-up after serving a ban. He excelled against New Zealand at Lord’s and has been among the wickets in the T20 Blast recently.
• Haseeb Hameed – The opener hit a ton in a warm-up match against India and is pushing Dom Sibley hard for a role at the top of the order. He could shine at his home ground of Trent Bridge.
• Shubman Gill – The India batsman has returned home after being ruled out of this series with a shin injury.  KL Rahul could replace him at the top.
• Rishabh Pant – The explosive wicketkeeper-batsman has linked back up with the India squad after recovering from Covid-19. He has been in superb form this year.

England v India 1st Test – Betting Tips and Predictions

Our experts have cricket betting tips for this match. These include the latest odds and are based on the form of the players.

Back Burns for Top Batsman

England may have lost the series against World Test champions New Zealand but Rory Burns returned to form.

He had struggled in India but bounced back with a brilliant 132 in the first innings at Lord’s and 81 in the first innings at Edgbaston.

He struggled to follow up in the second-innings of those matches but still looks a good pick now he’s returned to home conditions.

If England do look to freshen up their openers, it will likely be Dom Sibley that makes way for Haseeb Hameed instead of Burns.

His price of 5.5 with 1xbet to be England’s top first-innings batsman looks a great bet.

KL Rahul is a Value Pick

The recent injury to Shubman Gill will offer an opportunity to someone else to come into the India side.

If selected, KL Rahul is great value in the top India first-innings batsman market.

He hit a century against a County select XI in the build-up to this fixture on the back of more big scores for Punjab Kings in the IPL.

He has been out of the Test reckoning for a while and looks to be battling with Abhimanyu Easwaran for a place in the side.

His price of 7.0 with 1xBet looks worth considering. You would get your stake back if he didn’t start the match.

Stuart Broad to be England’s Top Bowler

Stuart Broad has a great record at Trent Bridge. He is third in the all-time top wicket-takers at this ground and also plays here for Nottinghamshire.

He’ll know conditions well and took wickets when last in Test action against New Zealand at Edgbaston.

His price of 3.0 with 1xBet looks appealing.

See our round-up of the best cricket betting tips for this clash.