England vs India prediction: 5th Test betting tips & cricket odds

Follow our cricket betting tips as England take on India in the fifth Test

Ollie Pope found some form at Old Trafford but can he maintain it at his home ground for the fifth test? (AFP/Getty)

England vs India betting tips

• England to win 5th Test - @ 6/5 (Bet365)
• Ollie Pope to top score for England - 0.5pt win @ 13/2 (Unibet)

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England can complete a series win in London with either a draw or victory over India in the fifthTest, which gets underway on Thursday (11am, Sky Sports Main Event).

Ben Stokes' side lead the series 2-1 following wins at Headingley and more recently at Lord's in the third Test, which they won by 22 runs.

England have added Jamie Overton to the squad. Given that the seamer plies his trade at the Oval, that could prove to be a smart move by Stokes and Brendon McCullum, as they try to find the right formula both to win the match and avoid injuries to their bowlers. You’ll recall that off-spinner Shoaib Bashir missed out at Manchester after breaking a finger at Lord’s. He was replaced by spinner Liam Dawson, who played his first Test match in eight years.

Jofra Archer has now played in the last two matches and there’s no doubt he’s a huge threat when he’s fit. Whether England throw the ball to him again remains to be seen. His opening partner Chris Woakes has bowled more overs than anyone else in the series but if Archer is rested, then the durable Woakes may have to continue to retain some stability in the bowling.

Stokes was clearly struggling on the last couple of days at Old Trafford but he’ll probably continue to manage that for one more match before he can have a rest and some proper treatment. He’s been the pick of England’s bowlers so far in the series but he’s not easy to recommend as a betting proposition due to us not knowing how much he’ll be able to bowl in the capital.

India are largely injury-free, although all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the rest of the series with a knee injury after the Lord’s Test and Risabh Pant was added to the casualty list in Manchester. Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, could both miss out through injury.

Both fast bowlers missed out in Manchester but are on the road to recovery and with Jasprit Bumrah having played at Old Trafford, he could again sit out this match, having now played the three match limit that had been set for him before the series.

England are the favourites to win both the match and the series on betting sites, but will Stokes’ side be able to get over the line after missing out on the chance to close out a famous triumph at Old Trafford.

England vs India betting preview: England to finish on front foot with series win

England will be painfully aware of their inability to put India to the sword and wrap up the series with a match to spare, having spent the last two days of the fourth Test in the field. Those aches and pains may mean changes to the bowling, in particular, when the final XI is named. However, the batting should remain the same.

With that result being one of only two draws in the ‘Bazball’ era, the likelihood of lightning strike twice in succession looks slim. England might be fatigued as a bowling attack but they can bring in quality like Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton, who know how to bowl on this pitch.

India’s bowling, on the other hand, was disappointing at Old Trafford and if Bumrah either doesn’t play or he misfires through his own aches and pains, then England could again post a big score and put serious pressure on the tourists. While Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja were brilliant in their rearguard action in Manchester, it seems unlikely that they will both be able to bail out their team again.

England vs India prediction 1: England to win 5th Test - @ 6/5 (Bet365)

England vs India prediction: Pope to be England’s top scorer

The Oval is traditionally the English pitch where year on year there is pace, bounce and good carry, so the slips should be in play more than in most of the rest of the series. Home advantage can also help and so Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith can come more into play with the bat.

Pope has arguably been lucky to play as many Tests as he has, given his average but the current regime have persisted and he has rewarded them. Smith is like a precocious young talent for whom this pitch should play to his attacking strengths. However, if he is to top score then England are not likely to have fired up top and could be in trouble.

If we’re backing them to win we should be looking to the batters to set the platform and, in front of his home crowd, Pope looks too big at 13/2 with cricket betting sites to be passing up a play to small stakes. He got a ton in the first Test at Headingley but he’s due a big one and now could be the time for him to cement his place on the place to Australia later in the year.

England vs India prediction 2: Ollie Pope to be top scorer for England @ 13/2 (Unibet)

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