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Why are India at long odds to win the 1st Test? Am I missing something? If not for rain, England would have lost at home to World Champions NZ 2-0. They were thrashed by NZ's 2nd XI in the 2nd Test. And India are 2nd-best in Tests behind NZ. If the putrid batting lineups of England and Oz had played in the WTC final, it might have been over within 3 days.
The pitches in this Test series will be very flat by ECB order. (They reckon this will help England to play on the dead foreign pitches, like Oz's.)
If there are reasons for India's huge underdog status against India, please let me know.
"It seems probable that England will pick two all-rounders - Sam Curran to bat at No. 7 and Ollie Robinson at No. 8 - in an attempt to replicate the depth with bat and ball that Stokes provides. But with the surface also expected to turn, England are also keen to pick their left-arm spinner, Jack Leach. James Anderson and Stuart Broad are expected to complete the attack - though there is understood to have been some talk about rotating them - meaning there is unlikely to be room for Mark Wood.
That will leave England's batting a little light. With Ollie Pope enjoying a long bat in training on Monday, it appears he will be fit to return at No. 5 with Jos Buttler, the keeper, batting at No. 6. The top three is set to be Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley, meaning there is unlikely to be room for Jonny Bairstow or Dan Lawrence."
(cricinfo)
Miller from cricinfo reckons "England are there for the taking"... so again, I wonder why India are big underdogs.
Am I missing something? 
If not for rain, England would have lost at home to World Champions NZ 2-0. They were thrashed by NZ's 2nd XI in the 2nd Test. And India are 2nd-best in Tests behind NZ. If the putrid batting lineups of England and Oz had played in the WTC final, it might have been over within 3 days.
