Match Previews / Ed Hawkins / 26 February 2011 /

India and England clash in Bangalore on Sunday as the tournament action hots up. Ed Hawkins analyses this one. Follow him on Twitter here

London start time: 09.00

Team news
There were no reports of high winds throughout India this week but if there were they could be put down to millions of cricket nuts breathing a collective sigh of relief after injury scars proved to be false alarms.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are both fit despite picking up knocks. Tendulkar had a knee problem and Sehwag was struck in the ribs in the nets. Both are "absolutely fine".

India's bowling is not. Ashish Nehra, if healthy, should replace the ridiculous Sreesanth who went for 10 an over against Bangladesh.

England should look to shuffle their pack, too. The exclusion of second spinner Michael Yardy against the Netherlands was a mistake that must be rectified. Ravi Bopara should make way.

Venue and conditions
The average first-innings score in the last seven ODIs at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore is a very healthy 276. One would expect India to go close to 300 if they bat first. Last time out against New Zealand, the hosts chased 316 for victory.

There is no toss bias. Six of the last 11 day-night contests have been won by the side batting first. There have been five centuries in the last seven matches.

Match odds
England were dreadful against the Netherlands. And they cannot be as bad again. Whether that makes a difference against a powerful India side is open to debate.

They have lost their last seven ODIs against India in India. Extend the search and it gets worse, losing 11 of their last 12 and 16 of their last 20. With those numbers in mind, it is no surprise India are as short as [1.49]. England are [3.00].

We don't like to tip up such short prices (a monkey could do it) so instead we'll look for in-running options. England should be capable of getting a foothold at some point.

If there are two men who are likely to wrestle back any initiative given by India, Harbhajan Singh and Yusuf Pathan are ones to watch. Harbhajan has 30 wickets in 16 matches against England in India. Pathan made a ton and took three wickets against the Kiwis on his last appearance at the venue.

Top batsman - India
All eyes are on Sehwag and Tendulkar. The former averages a massive 78 there in the last 10 years, Tendulkar a surprisingly low 27. Given those statistics and the fact that four of the top runscoers over the same study period have been openers, Sehwag pips the Little Master, who is [4.60], for favourite status at [4.20]. They are [1.95] and [1.80] respectively for 50s.

Top batsman - England
Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood have the best records in India, averaging 54 and 31. KP is jolly at [4.60] and is [1.80] for a 50. Collingwood is a good wager at [6.60]. He is often underrated but could excel if he has to come to his team's rescue.

Featured market
There have been 37 sixes in the last 10 years (six matches) on this ground. That works out at 6.1 per game. It is [1.52] there are 0-4 on Sunday. A total between 5-7 is [2.04]. Eight or more is [1.72].

Best bet: Paul Collingwood top England runscorer at [6.60]

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