Cricket: South Africa vs India
3 Match One Day International Series
betxchange.com odds:
Series Winner:
With the cricketing world still coming to terms with the news that Virat Kohli has stepped down as Indian test captain, many would be forgiven for failing to acknowledge the huge ODI series on the horizon between South Africa and India.
The hosts came from 1-0 down in the Test series to clinch a superb win over India in the longest form of the game, a result which proved to be the final straw for Kohli in his captaincy tenure. However, India have excelled in the shorter formats of the game in recent years and in the fast and furious world of ODI cricket, very few sides do it better than India.
With three games to be played in relatively quick succession, it promises to be a fascinating series – between two sides that appeared to have no love lost when they met in the test arena last week.
Team Previews
South Africa
Temba Bavuma is slowly overseeing a transformation within the limited overs cricket team in South Africa and the Proteas have gone under the radar somewhat. Quinton de Kock will be back after stepping away from the Test arena himself in recent times and he will be raring to go, alongside the likes of Aiden Markham and David Miller. In the bowling department, South Africa have unearthed plenty of gems in recent years and Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen will all be out to take it to the Indian batsmen from the off.
India
With the furore over Kohli’s test captaincy resignation still ongoing, KL Rahul looks set to lead the side here and his sheer weight of runs in recent seasons has stood him apart from many other Indian batsmen. Rishabh Pant and Kohli will also be looking to put plenty of runs on the board too, in an Indian batting line up that perhaps doesn’t have the imperious look of recent tours. In the bowling unit, Ravi Ashwin will pick up plenty of the spin bowling slack whilst pacemen Mohamed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah will be looking to tear into the Proteas.
Series Betting Tips
Top Run Scorer in Series – Virat Kohli – 5/1
Despite his relative struggles in the test arena, Virat Kohli is still one of the very best batters in the world and when the chips are down, he always comes up clutch for India.
Top Bowler in the Series: Lungi Ngidi – 6/1
Following a hugely impressive Test series against the same opposition, Lungi Ngidi looks to be brimming with confidence and with favourable pitches, he could be a tough man to keep out.
Whilst it has been a tough couple of months for Indian cricket, white ball cricket is their bread and butter, and they will see this as a real opportunity to restore some pride against a dangerous South African side.
Best Bet
India to win the series 2-1 – 11/8
One day internationals are always hotly contested at the top end of the game and the prospect of two hugely talented sides facing off is hugely appealing. South Africa are good at home, with quality running throughout their ranks in the 50 over format but India are proven at this level and with something to prove too, they look to be worthy favourites to edge the three game series.
