West Indies v India Test Series Odds and Preview – Cricket Betting

India aiming for clean sweep in the Caribbean

Cricket Betting

Having already won the T20 and ODI series in the Caribbean, India aim to make it a clean sweep in the two-match Test series against the West Indies, which gets underway in Antigua this week and concludes with a match in Bridgetown, Barbados.

West Indies Form and Squad News

Plus-size spinner Rakheem Cornwall is the only change to the West Indies Test squad which defeated England 2-1 earlier this year. The selectors are asking the players to put behind them recent woes in shorter versions of the game as the play their first round of matches in the new World Test Championship. Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell will again open the batting as the Windies look for some consistency. The former has 56 Test appearances under his belt and is the perfect foil for his less-experienced partner. Shai Hope, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase are an exciting combination in the middle order, especially on home soil. Captain Jason Holder and wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich can also wield a bat but the Windies will need their bowlers, headed by Kemar Roach, to restrict India’s formidable batting line-up to have any chance of upsetting the odds. To be fair, the West Indies have not lost any of their last three home Test series but are now facing the world’s current top-ranked side.

India Form and Squad News – are India in line for a clean sweep?

India have won 12 of their last 14 Test series – their only defeats coming last year in South Africa and England. As always, India have a busy workload ahead of them with three Test matches against South Africa and two against Bangladesh on the immediate horizon. With that in mind, they’ve included Navdeep Saini in their Test squad to face the Windies. He could potentially lighten the load on leading bowlers Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav. Of course, India also have Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar so they aren’t short of options. Virat Kohli will again captain India and is probably the most complete batsman in world cricket at present. He has an able deputy in Ajinkya Rahane but Hardik Pandya is being rested.

West Indies v India Test Head-to-Heads

India have won their last seven Test series against West Indies and haven’t lost a Test match against the team from the Caribbean since 2002 when Brian Lara was still a mainstay of the Windies.

West Indies v India Best Series Odds

West Indies 20/1, Draw 15/4, India 2/7 (Odds correct at 10.00am August 20)

West Indies v India Predictions

It would be a seismic shock if this still-evolving West Indies side managed to edge out the battle-hardened tourists in this two-match series but India simply aren’t worth backing at a best 2/7 with Betway. Instead, let’s concentrate on the Top India Batsman market. Virat Kohli has already top-scored for India in the T20s and ODIs on this tour and never seems to let his standards drop. He is only a best 7/4 to out-score his team-mates in the Test series but that looks a reasonable wager. Shimron Hetmyer could be the West Indies key man at the crease and is a general 6/1 to be the home side’s Top Batsman.

Virat Kohli to be India’s Top Batsman
7/4

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