India v Australia 1st Test : Cricket fans pile in to top batsman and top bowler markets as Series kicks off in Chennai
Cricket returns with India v Australia Series in the 1st Test in Chennai as Paddy Power release the latest odds and a free bets offer for punters on the outright winner, top batsman or top bowler.
India will look to re-establish their dominance in Test cricket at home when they take on a new-look Australian side in the first Test in Chennai.
The cricketing country has been left reeling since England came, saw, and conquered the Indians 2-1 over the Christmas period, and fans are expecting them to take out their frustration on Australia in the four-match series.
The tourists have travelled to the Asia with a very inexperienced squad as captain Michael Clarke tries to lead the next generation of Australian cricketers to the top of the world rankings. There is talent within the ranks but this is seen as a long term project by the ACA and they aren’t expecting much from this daunting looking series against the Indians.
India v Australia – Paddy Power £250 Bet Offer
Paddy Power have a host of cricket markets for punters to choose from including match winer, outright series winner, top batsman and top bowler markets. They are also celebrating with a new free bets offer worth £250/€250 to customers to spend! Claim here!
markets are also in agreement. Firms have installed India as red-hot favourites to win the four-match Test series, with Paddy Power especially seeing waves of money on a home victory. The Dublin-based firm have had to cut the hosts from 4/6 to 8/11 in recent days in order to sustain the amount of money they have taken.
The Aussies meanwhile have been friendless in the series winner markets. Paddy Power have installed the visitors as a best-priced 4/1 to register an unlikely series win, with the draw available at 100/30 with William Hill.
One thing England did so well in their recent victory in India was attack the hosts with some excellent spin bowling.
Both Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar brought their A-game’s to the table and India were left dumbfounded by the quality of the bowling on very slow but lively pitches.
That is the main weakness in Australia’s line-up, which punters have latched onto – they fail to possess a devastating spin bowler.
Nathan Lyon, who has only played 19 Tests and taken 61 wickets, will be their frontline spinner for the Tour and he will have to improve tenfold to trouble the Indian batting line-up that includes Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.
Harbhajan Singh will be one of three spinners used in their frontline bowling attack, with both Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin likely to feature. Ashwin was the star of the one-day series against England and could be about to burst onto the Test-match scene against the Aussies.
Frontline bowlers Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson can be a relentless trio on their day, but they will have to bowl for long periods in flat conditions and could get very frustrated if they fail to adapt.
India are blessed with a strong batting line-up and it is predicted that over the course of the series, that will be the key difference between the sides. Cheteshwar Pujara, Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, arguably are the most talented middle-order in world cricket at the moment, and Tendulkar especially will want to put on a show against the Aussies.
This is more than likely to be his last Test series against the old enemy.
There has been plenty of money being wagered on the first-Test, with the draw being punted on with many online firms. Both William Hill and Bet365 have reported significant money being laid down on a stalemate in the first Test as Australia look to put pressure on the India bowling attack from the first ball.
William Hill are standout 15/8 on the draw, whilst if you’re interested in backing an Indian win you can get 5/4 with Ladbrokes. Australia are 3/1 shots with BetVictor to start their tour with a victory.
Aussie skipper Michael Clarke has been in determined mood in the pre-match media briefings and he is expected to lead his side’s charge with the bat. With this in mind the 11/4 with Bet365 on him being the top Australian batsmen looks a second look.
