India v England Fifth Test: Latest Odds & Analysis

India v England predictions: 

• India most 1st innings sixes - 1.5 @ Luckster
• Rajat Patidar under 35.5 first innings runs - 1.83 @ Luckster
• Kuldeep Yadav over 48.5 first innings PP - 1.83 @ Luckster

When: Thursday 7 March, 9:30am IST

Where: HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala

Watch: Sports 18 and Jio Cinemas

Best Odds: India 1.61, Draw 4.0, England 6.0

This historic five Test series between India and England will conclude in a city that for many England fans is a ‘bucket list venue’.

The picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, situated at the foothills of the Himalayas with its colourful grandstands and eye-catching pavilion, continues to capture the imagination of the wider cricketing public whenever it is in the spotlight.

India’s ‘winter capital’ often records top temperatures in the teens throughout the first half of March, with drizzly conditions and thunderstorms expected to play a role at some point in the match and perhaps even light snowfall on the opening day.

That’s why cricket betting sites have rated the draw as the second-most likely option for the first time in the series, which adds value to the early win price of either side if the forecast looks promising.

If the weather does not interfere, one man will be celebrating his 100th Test as a winner, with both Jonny Bairstow and Ravichandran Ashwin set to notch up the wonderful milestone this week.

For the final time, here are our best India v England fifth Test predictions to round out a successful series.

The Numbers That Matter

• Ashwin has figures of 6-72 and 4-94 to Duckett and Crawley in all Tests
• Yashasvi Jaiswal is the only man with four 50+ scores in this series
• Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow made 50s in a Dharamsala ODI against Bangladesh last year
• Kuldeep Yadav took four first innings wicket in the only Dharamsala Test
• Jasprit Bumrah to Joe Root in this series: 3/15 from 37 balls

India’s six-hitting dominance to carry on

Patterns and trends are made to be broken, but this is one that we can see continuing on through to the end of the series.

India are a short-priced favourite to register more first innings sixes than England with most Indian betting apps, and with good reason.

The host side have outscored their opponents in the first innings six tally in every match so far, and by big margins on each occasion. 

India have racked up nine, eight, ten and eight sixes in their first innings of each Test so far, whilst England have accumulated four, four three and three again.

That’s a big gulf in class as far as clearing the boundary is concerned, and with a four-game sample size we can confidently take what appears to be a nice price for it to happen once again.

Prediction: India most 1st innings sixes - 1.5 @ Luckster

Patidar’s plunge

The debuting top order batter from Madhya Pradesh has been outclassed throughout the series, and whilst he obviously has potential that the selectors have backed in, Rajat Patidar has been bested by England’s inexperienced spinners in every game.

It was Rehan Ahmed who dismissed him twice in Vizag, Tom Hartley twice in Rajkot, and then Shoaib Bashir chimed in by taking his wicket on both occasions in Ranchi.

That’s a concerning pattern given neither Hartley nor Bashir had played a Test match in this series either, and that they’re both likely to be selected for this week’s final game in Dharamsala given that Rehan has withdrawn from the series.

Instead of being released for MP’s Ranji Trophy semi-final, selectors opted to retain him in the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.

Cricket betting apps have given Patidar a 35.5 run mark for the first innings of this match, despite him having a top score of 32 in his debut innings.

We’re expecting his wretched luck to continue.

Prediction: Rajat Patidar under 35.5 first innings runs - 1.83 @ Luckster

Kuldeep back to where it all began

He hasn’t been able to build a long bank of Test cricket memories to draw upon, but Kuldeep Yadav has enjoyed some tremendous success in this series as a complement to Jadeja and Ashwin, picking up 12 wickets from three Tests.

Now he heads back to the site of his Test debut, where in a tense series deciding match against Australia he picked four first innings wickets (including David Warner and Glenn Maxwell) in an eight-wicket victory.

In Ranchi, he saved his best work for the second innings in the traditional mould of a spinner, but even after that carries a first innings bowling average of just 23 into this match.

Our favourite Indian cricket bookmakers have set his ‘player performance’ mark for the first innings at 48.5 points, with each wicket worth 20 points and each run being one point.

Kuldeep recorded a handy 28 runs in India’s only innings of the last Test, which could get him over the line if he manages just two first innings wickets. 

Prediction: Kuldeep Yadav over 48.5 first innings PP - 1.83 @ Luckster