India is the epicentre of global cricket with over 130 million people estimated to be playing the game in the country. Quite simply, cricket is a religion in India, and with such a fanatical population, it’s unsurprising that online cricket betting has gripped fans.
It goes without saying that the scene has dramatically changed almost 100 years after India played its first-ever international match, with both cricket and betting now unrecognizable from when they first began.
History of Cricket in India
India’s love affair with international cricket officially began in 1932 when the national team played its first-ever game on June 25th. Predictably, it was a baptism of fire as the Indians took on the English at Lord’s who had already been playing Test cricket since 1877.
The 55-year gap in international experience proved too much for the Indians who would lose the encounter by 158 runs. Irrespective of the heavy loss at the Home of Cricket, India's cricketing journey had begun and the country has never looked back since.
Indeed, 42 years of captivating Test clashes involving India were to follow before the tectonic plates of international cricket were to shift again. This time, the moment had come for India to compete in a One Day International game for the first time. As was the case in 1932, the opponents again were England but the venue this time was Headingley in Leeds for a match on July 13th, 1974.
This ODI fixture would be notably closer than the Test at Lords and if online cricket betting was available then, you might have been tempted to bet on India pulling off a stunning upset before the English lower order rallied to save the hosts. Yes, England would just manage to edge a tight encounter after professionally chasing down India’s target of 266 with 23 balls left. While defeat was hard to take, an exciting new ODI era had begun that would remain cricket’s only limited-over format for the next 30 years.
T20 cricket disrupts the betting industry
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that in 2006, Indian cricket changed for good as the country played its first-ever T20 match.
The opponents on this auspicious day were South Africa, and unlike India’s inaugural games in the Test and ODI arena, the country would finally win their maiden clash in a new format. This time, India would emerge victorious during a thrilling clash in Johannesburg on December 1st when the team reached South Africa's target of 127 with just one ball to spare.
T20 cricket mania had arrived in India and the IPL would begin less than 18 months later.
As you can see, the game of cricket has steadily evolved over India’s 91 years of being an international member, and similarly, the betting trends have followed an equally enthralling path. Looking back, you can say with certainty that the advent of the T20 format did more to revolutionise online cricket betting than anything else did, and is ultimately, the reason why cricket betting has never been more accessible than it is today.
At least, during the Test and ODI era of the 20th century, you might have undertaken the time-consuming task of placing a bet at a bookmaker's brick-and-mortar shop before making your way down to watch the game live. However, once the fast-paced T20 cricket format arrived in the 21st century - where the game could change in just a few balls, the demand for more convenience grew rapidly.
Before long, a solution had been found to cater to the demand and it came in the form of online cricket betting which meant that you could now place a bet from the comfort of your own home on your mobile device. In other words, you could now easily stay across a live T20 contest and bet accordingly if the match turned on its head in the blink of an eye.
The emergence of cryptocurrency betting
At the time, the introduction of live betting might have appeared as the biggest technological innovation to ever happen to the game, but the cricket betting industry would experience even more profound change in 2015 when Bitsler began offering fans the chance to bet on cricket by using cryptocurrency.
Admittedly, betting with crypto might have seemed like an esoteric idea at first with people sure that the entire concept would fizzle out. The reality is that in 2023, eight years after Bitsler launched, the global cryptocurrency market cap stands at £775 billion with crypto a dominant force in global financial markets. Put plainly, Bitsler was right to position itself ahead of the cricket betting curve as this is an industry that is continuing to show signs of extraordinary growth.
The benefits of betting with crypto
Today, if you’re a crypto enthusiast as well as a cricket lover, the opportunity is there to claim a welcome bonus from Bitsler which offers a 100% deposit match of up to $700. The truth is that with swift deposit and withdrawal methods, while simultaneously accepting over 25 different cryptocurrencies, there are a huge amount of benefits when it comes to using Bitsler as your cricket bookmaker that you won't be able to find at a more traditional setup.
Without a doubt, using crypto to bet is undoubtedly the most groundbreaking development in online cricket betting to have ever taken place with thousands of transactions taking place daily.
But one question still remains irrespective of whether you’re using rupees, dollars, or crypto to bet on cricket: how do you ensure that when you place a bet you give yourself a greater chance of making a return?
The answer is that with three unique formats to bet on, it's certainly a case of adopting different strategies in a bid to maximise your chances of walking away with a tidy profit. In short, there is no substitute for having a well-thought-through cricket betting strategy in a day and age where multiple formats are played.
Test cricket
Test cricket is often referred to as the ultimate format on account of how much mental and physical strength is needed to win a game over five days and four innings.
While it is true that India has produced some of the finest individual Test players in history, namely Sachin Tendulkar who is the leading Test run scorer of all time with 15921 runs, and Anil Kumble who is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Test history after claiming 619 scalps, the reality is that the longest format requires a contribution from all 11 players in the team.
Phrased differently, Test cricket is not readily won courtesy of fleeting solo excellence as it is in the shorter formats; it is the epitome of the proverbial war of attrition.
Test cricket betting strategies
When it comes to online cricket betting on Tests, this is an important factor to keep in mind - especially if you’re betting in-play. In other words, don’t be too ready to back an unfancied team that is enjoying an unexpected spell in the ascendancy. More often than not, the team with better five-day credentials will find a way to wrestle back momentum as the resolve of the outsiders crumble under the intense scrutiny of Test cricket.
Conversely, it would be an informed move to take the value odds and place a bet on the more experienced Test side winning when they have their backs to the wall.
The next point to keep in mind is that the toss in Test cricket is pivotal. Waiting to bet until it has taken place is a wise move as the tone for the game is often set in that crucial first hour of play. Essentially, you want to look out for the weather conditions on the morning the Test begins and decide what they would suit better, be that batting or bowling.
A clear giveaway is that the captain that wins the toss is likely to capitalise on the conditions and in doing so, give their team a head start over the opposition in the game.
Finally, opening the batting in Test cricket is a thankless task as players have to battle against a new ball, attacking field placements, and an energised team keen to make early inroads into a batting lineup. This pressure can often lead to a wicket falling before the team’s total has reached 25.
Typically, the online cricket betting odds of this happening hover around evens and present a good chance to earn a handsome return, especially if the batting team also has the added weight of scoreboard pressure to contend with.
ODI cricket
One Day International cricket is the format between Tests and T20s. Overall, each side bats once and has an allotted 50 overs to do so in. India has excelled in ODI cricket since its first game in 1974 having won the 1983 World Cup before going all the way again on home soil in 2011.
The key to India’s historic success has been the luxury of being able to call on a balanced side, with a mixture of specialist batsmen, bowlers, and the all-important all-rounders - which takes us onto our first ODI betting strategy.
ODI betting strategies
When perusing through the latest online cricket betting odds, the rule of thumb is that you don’t bet against a team that has strength in depth; they’re hard to beat on account of a long batting lineup and a varied bowling attack. The more weapons a team has in its arsenal, the likelier they are to have an answer to every question the opposition asks during an ODI game.
Another point to consider is that ODI cricket is often played during the day and night with games starting mid-afternoon and running into the late evening. This means that one team will have to chase a score under floodlights which often hands them a crucial upper hand.
The reason for this is that dew settles on the outfield at night which is a distinct disadvantage for the bowling team as the ball gets wet and extremely difficult to control. A wet ball also gets softer considerably quicker which makes batting significantly easier. The wider point is that if a certain cricket ground is renowned for having the dreaded ‘dew factor’ after dark, it makes sense to bet on the team chasing a score to do so successfully.
T20 Cricket
Less than a year after India played their first ever T20 international game, they would go on to be crowned world champions during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. The final in Johannesburg was one of the sweetest victories in India’s cricketing history as they beat bitter rivals Pakistan by five runs in a game that could have realistically gone both ways.
T20 cricket betting strategies
However, it was Irfan Pathan's bowling figures of 3/16 that ultimately handed India the World Cup as the left-arm quick took two wickets in the same over to take the game away from Pakistan when they were ahead of the run rate and on course for victory.
The lesson here is that T20 is a format that lends itself to individual excellence as we saw in 2007. When it comes to online cricket betting markets where you choose a winner of a game or the outright winner of a T20 World Cup, look for the side that has players that can single-handedly win the game for their nation.
For example, box office players like Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, David Warner, and Jasprit Bumrah all have the skill set to steer their country to victory without the help of their teammates. If a team’s lineup features a host of these X-factor players, don’t bet against them as they only need one of their explosive stars to come off to win a game.
Another point to keep in mind is that T20 cricket has evolved immeasurably in the sense that targets over 200 are no longer out of reach as they were in the infancy of the format. In fact, South Africa set a world record in March 2023 by chasing down a score of 259 that the West Indies had set them. Incredibly, South Africa only lost four wickets in the process and had seven balls to spare.
What this means is the Proteas managed to score at a higher run rate of 12.95 per over which was their target when they came out to bat. In essence, going at ten an over is a manageable task for T20 specialist hitters nowadays so if a team has been set over 200 and has a list of powerful batters to come, don’t be afraid to back them in the live online cricket betting markets.
The gentleman's game in 2023
By now, you’ll be able to see that cricket is no longer the game it was a century ago and that betting on it has also changed beyond recognition. Indeed, while there are many new different ways for a team to win a game in all three formats, there are also different strategies to adopt and recently, emerging currencies like crypto to use when it comes to making a profit on online cricket betting.
Disclaimer: The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.
