Betting tips / Andrew Hughes / 16 March 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Despite the hosts putting up a good showing in the opener, Andrew Hughes feels Bangladesh will be in trouble when they meet India in the Asia Cup today.

Team News
Bangladesh played three front-line seamers against Pakistan and they all conceded plenty so they may be tempted to bring in a third spinner in Elias Sunny, probably at the expense of Shafiul Islam. Imrul Kayes is the main alternative batting option but rival opener Nazimuddin did enough last time to keep his place.

The absence of Virender Sehwag means that India's disruptive rotation policy has been abandoned and the line-up is a more settled as a result. It's hard to see Manoj Tiwary squeezing into the batting order, and given their strength they don't have any need for the power hitting of Yusuf Pathan down the order.

Expect India to be unchanged for this one.

Venue and Conditions
The Shere Bangla Stadium is a batting-friendly venue that offers very little encouragement for bowlers. The fast outfield means that any slight error of line or length is punished and any total less than 300 can be chased down. It should be another stifling hot day in Bangladesh and fielding first will be hard work.

Match Odds
Bangladesh had their chances against Pakistan in their opening game. They pegged them back to 198-7 with ten overs to go and had their run chase under control until a late collapse finished them off. That could have been their best and last chance of securing a win in this tournament as Pakistan are, at the moment, the worst of the three big Asian teams involved.

India have come unstuck against Bangladesh before but after their disastrous Australian tour are determined to retain this trophy and they looked in ruthless mood against Sri Lanka in their opener. On these wickets, their batting looks invincible and their bowling is less exposed than it is overseas. Punters looking for an upset may be considering the odds of [6.0] about a Bangladesh victory but at the moment they wouldn't be tempting at twice the price.

Top Bangladesh Batsman
Tamim Iqbal and former captain Shakib al Hasan are the class acts in this Bangladeshi team and were joint top scorers in their opening game. At the likely bigger price of around[5.5] Shakib is the preferred option.

Top Indian Batsman
All the pressure is on Sachin Tendulkar, but he missed out in the opener and his long wait for that historic century drags on. With the weight of expectation on his shoulders heavier than ever, he doesn't represent a tempting betting proposition: a better option at bigger odds is the in-form Virat Kohli, who should be available at around [4.0]

Featured MarketAs Tendulkar struggles, it makes sense to side with his opening partner. Back Gautam Gambhir +0.5 in the 'Gambhir v Tendulkar' market at [1.85] or better.

Recommended Bet
Back Virat Kohli to top score for India at 4.0