England and India will face-off in a decisive third Test at Lord's this week, with the series on a knife-edge – here are the best Spread Ex Sports odds for the pivotal match.
India came back after their loss at Headingley in the opening match of the series with a decisive win at Edgbaston to leave the series scoreline all-square. Shubman Gill scored a landmark double-century in the first innings before Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep took all 10 England first innings wickets between them. Akash went on to take 10 in the match despite Jamie Smith's resistance, with India winning on the final day by 336 runs.
With Jofra Archer set to make his long awaited Test return at Lord's and Jasprit Bumrah set to come back into the India side, the third Test is set to be a blockbuster.
3rd Test, England vs India
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England edge out India as slight favourites
After the pitch at Edgbaston was criticised by Ben Stokes' post-game, England are said to have asked for a fast and bouncy track at Lord's. This favours bringing Archer back into their side, at the scene of his explosive Test debut in the 2019 Ashes. Such a track, however, will also suit Bumrah if he is selected to play.
Nevertheless, England have a nose ahead for the bookies at 10/11 for a win, while India sit at 7/5 on Spread Ex Sports. However, India beat England on their last outing at the Home of Cricket, with KL Rahul scoring a century and Siraj starring with the ball.
Gill to continue dominance
India's new captain has been in sublime form in the opening two games, with three centuries under his belt from four innings, including his record-breaking knock at Edgbaston. Averaging 146.25 in the series ahead of the game, he could break a host of records as the series goes on. He is favoured at 3/1 as the pick to score the most runs in the first innings at Lord's.
On the England side of the coin, Joe Root is tipped to bounce back from a tricky game in Birmingham, also sitting at 3/1, returning to the ground he scored two centuries at in the same game against West Indies last year.
Brydon Carse – Recommended trade
Carse will play his third Test of the series on the bounce, and alongside his wickets has contributed valuable lower-order runs in the series so far. He scored 38 in the second innings at Edgbaston as well as 22 at Headingley. If Carse scores 31 across both innings at Lord's, he would be a good pick for Spread Ex Betting's range, currently at 26-31. In practice, if Carse scores 35 runs in the Test and was bought with the odds at 31, for £1 bet £4 would be won. However, if he was sold at 26, £9 would be lost.
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