England vs India 1st Test Betting Tips – England favourites as new WTC cycle kicks off

• England vs India 1st Test Preview
• England Form
• England Team News
• India Form
• India Team News

England and India will begin a new cycle of the WTC with different outlooks and different ambitions. After the recent retirements of Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma, India will have a new-look team with a heavy reliance on some of their younger players. 

One of those young players is Shubman Gill, who will likely be India’s new long-term leader in the longest format of the game. 

On the other side is the battle-tested Ben Stokes, who has already led his team to into a new generation of Test batting. 

England Form

England played one Test against Zimbabwe ahead of a short white-ball series against West Indies. In that Test, England were typically fluent with the bat, led by a strong top order that consists of Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Joe Root. 

Harry Brook and Ben Stokes in the middle order could be a point of concern for India’s bowlers if the ball doesn’t swing after the initial burst. 

England Team News

India Form

India’s job will likely be to stay competitive for long periods in this series. Against a strong England team, India’s batting and bowling will both be tested in conditions that are starkly different from the IPL, where India’s players have competed for the last few months. 

"It feels good but at the same time, you know it's a responsibility also to share your knowledge, your experience with our new players, new youngsters coming to the team,” India’s new vice-captain Rishabh Pant said. 

India Team News

Jasprit Bumrah will play only three Tests in this series, including plausibly the first. Gill will likely bat at No. 4.