India v England 1st T20I – 12/03/2021

India v England 1st T20I Preview – Betting Tips, Latest Odds, Predictions – 12/03/2021

India and England meet for the first of five T20Is that could provide plenty of pointers ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup.

England will be keen to get these white-ball clashes off to a positive start after defeat in the Test series.

Discover our free cricket betting tips for this match.

India v England 1st T20I – Match Preview

England’s T20 team have continued to go from strength-to-strength under the leadership of Eoin Morgan and will be keen to put down a marker ahead of the World Cup.

India’s Test team got the job done in good style and the T20I side will now be looking to put some doubts into the visitors’ camp.

This is the current T20 World Cup favorites and second-favourites going head-to-head in the country that will host the tournament,

Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

When: Friday, 12 March 2021

Start time: 19:00 IST (13:30 GMT)

Pitch conditions: The pitch for the Test matches here last week was friendly for spin and it would be no surprise to see India look to exploit that once more. Batting first and setting a good total looks the way to go.

Weather conditions: The weather is set to be clear and dry for this one. Temperatures will be around the 30-degree mark and there is no chance of rain.

India v England 1st T20I – Latest Odds

India are the favourites to win this one. They can be backed at 1.67 with Parimatch.

England are available at 2.16 with the same betting site.

India v England 1st T20I – Team News

• KL Rahul – The Punjab Kings batsman is likely to see some action now after sitting out the Test series. His top-scored in last year’s IPL and could take the gloves again.
• Shikhar Dhawan – Another batsman who has had to wait for the white-ball action to begin is Delhi’s Dhawan. It could be a big year for him at the top of the order and it would be no surprise to see him get runs.
• Hardik Pandya – The all-rounder can be destructive in the middle-order and was in brilliant form in the last IPL. His ability to contribute with the ball means he won’t be far away from the big moments.
• Adil Rashid – England’s leg-spinner didn’t get an IPL deal but remains one of the best bowlers in limited-overs cricket. It will be interesting to see how he gets on in conditions that should suit.
• Jos Buttler – The talented wicket-keeper batsman was rested for the majority of the Test series but returns for these matches. He will look to take the fight to the hosts.
• Moeen Ali – The spin all-rounder is another that returns to India for this series. He showed exactly what he can do with eight wickets in the 2nd Test and a quick-fire 43 in the second innings.

India v England 1st T20I – Betting Tips and Predictions

India are rightly the favorites in home conditions but England are more than capable of securing the win.

This series certainly looks like being much closer than the Test series that preceded it.

However, given how close this first match could be, it is a good idea to look at other markets to find value.

Back Dhawan to Top Score for India

Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed a fine IPL 2020 with Delhi Capitals and will be keen to shine on the international stage once again.

While India have a wealth of batting talent, he looks the value bet at the prices.

It is likely he’ll be opening the batting next to Rohit Sharma should he get the nod. Having Virat Kohli and KL Rahul behind that opening pair will give Dhawan the freedom he needs to shine.

He is priced at 4.5 with 22Bet, which looks too big given how well he has done recently.

KL Rahul to Outshine Kohli

KL Rahul has had to wait for his chance after sitting out the Test series but can come back with a vengeance here.

He was outstanding when winning the top run-scorer orange cap in IPL 2020 for KXIP.

Kohli hasn’t been at his best recently and failed to find any momentum in the recent Test series. Backing KL Rahul to score more runs looks a good bet.

He is priced at 2.0 with bet365 to get more runs than his skipper.

Rashid to Bag Most Wickets for England

Adil Rashid can show the Test team’s spin department exactly what they were missing when he features in this clash.

He might not have got himself an IPL deal but he continues to be one of the most consistent wicket-takers in this format.

Conditions will suit and it would be no surprise to see him take wickets in that crucial spell after the powerplay, especially if India feel they aren’t quite where they need to be and try to take him on.

His price of 4.0 with bet365 is far too big.

Take a look at our round-up of the best bets for this fixture.