(Getty)
India are the favorites heading into Sunday’s ICC final. Pakistan were beaten by the defending champions to open the competition, but have fought back to reach the final, where they will look to quiet the powerful bats of India.
Here are the latest odds from Bovada:
India vs. Pakistan Odds
Moneyline: Pakistan +200, India -250
Prediction:
India have owned Pakistan in international competition. They have won 12 of 15 meetings in ICC competitions, including a 124-run victory to start this year’s tournament. India’s dominance extended to the rest of their tournament run, where they scored a tournament-best 1098 runs en route to the final.
The counter to strong bats is strong bowling, and that’s what Pakistan bring to Sunday’s final. They have improved dramatically since the opening loss to India, and have more wickets (31) than anyone in the tournament. After giving up 6.64 runs per over against India in the opener, that number is down to 4.46.
Pakistan will need to bowl carefully Sunday against India’s Big Three. The trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli have combined for 81.4 percent of all India’s runs in the competition.
India are cricket royalty, and they will face all the pressure on Sunday. This is their fourth trip to the Champions Trophy final, and only the first for Pakistan. But the underdogs have been battle-tested in this tournament, while India have batted their way through the competition.
India have the advantage going in, and they are expected to win. But if the match stays close late, Pakistan have proven that they can pull out a tight finish where India have not. Still, I’ll take the offense to prevail on Sunday.
Prediction: India by 80 runs
Best Bet: Dhawan top team batsmen and India wins the match (+400)
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India vs. Pakistan: ICC Final Odds & Prediction