Cricket betting tips: England vs India – Joe Root, Jasprit Bumrah to dominate 2025 Test series
England and India are set to begin a new chapter in their historic rivalry this summer when the two face off in a much-anticipated five-match Test series.
The newly named Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, formerly the Pataudi Trophy, promises to provide entertainment and competition in equal measure over the next seven weeks.
Headingley will host the first Test before Edgbaston, Lord’s, and Old Trafford get a taste of the action, with the fifth and final Test taking place at The Kia Oval.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket writer Bilal Patel takes a look at the betting odds and offers some expert tips ahead of the thrilling match-up.
Betting tips
Conditions
The pitches in England are likely to favour swing and seam bowlers.
As a result, look for pacers on both sides to thrive in the first few Tests.
Players
Watch out for those players who exceed expectations with bat and ball.
Root’s solid record at home and Bumrah’s wicket-taking prowess are widely expected to be a key component during the series.
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Series winner – England
These two sides fought closely the last time they played in English conditions as the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
Much has changed since then, though, with India now under the leadership of Shubman Gill.
England, meanwhile, have stayed true to their Bazball approach under captain Ben Stokes and will in all likelihood continue to implement an aggressive style.
Brendon McCullum’s side are slight favourites, having not lost a Test series at home during his three years in charge.
But with weather likely to play a part and both squads being tested in this tense affair, there could be a few surprises.
The home team certainly looks the more settled compared to the visitors, so we’re going for a 2-1 victory to England.
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Top run-scorer – Joe Root (England)
It’s hard to look past England’s all-time leading run-scorer, Joe Root, who has a habit of turning up against India.
In the last series between the two sides in England, Root was by far the highest run-scorer, hitting 737 runs in nine innings at an average of 105.28.
Another batter who could cause the Indian bowlers trouble is Ollie Pope.
England’s No.3 top-scored in their Test match against Zimbabwe last month, scoring 171 off just 166 deliveries.
That innings likely secured the 27-year-old his spot in the side amid pressure from young talent Jacob Bethell, who features in the squad for the first Test.
From an Indian perspective, they will be relying on their experience to pull them through after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The ever-versatile KL Rahul is expected to open the batting as he did in the five-Test series against Australia.
It will be the 34-year-old’s third Test series in England and his experience is key if India are to be successful.
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Top wicket-taker – Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Once again, India will be heavily reliant on Bumrah, who recently returned from injury during the Indian Premier League.
The fast bowler may not feature in all five Tests in order to manage his workload, but on his day he can cause trouble to the best batters in the world.
Having picked up 32 wickets in Australia, you can expect the 31-year-old to spearhead India’s pace attack as far as possible this summer.
England, for their part, will be without senior pacers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood for the opening Test, but one pacer expected to make his return at Headingley is Chris Woakes.
The 36-year-old has the experience to outfox the Indian batters and will be a key figure in the hosts’ pace attack across the five Tests.
England’s frontline spinner, Shoaib Bashir, is also expected to feature throughout and, after picking up eight wickets in the one-off victory over Zimbabwe, he should fancy his chances against a slightly inexperienced India line-up.
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Player of the series – Joe Root (England)
This series will be a long and no doubt hard-fought affair, with a number of players on both sides expected to stand up and perform.
One man who has consistently been able to do that for England is Root, and the run-machine’s battle with Bumrah will be a crucial test.
Whoever comes out on top is likely to be on the winning side and we are going for Root.
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