NFL team

If India comes out on top, it will all come down to the fifth test at The Oval, which begins on July 31.

It’s hard to understate just how important this match will be to the global sporting audience, even if it doesn’t break into the mainstream here in the United States.

It is estimated that over 89 million people in India streamed the first match of this series, which gives you an idea of just how massive the audience is for a sport that is still foreign to most American sports fans.

There’s not enough room in this column (or paper) to explain the rules and history of cricket (and more specifically, test cricket), but this match between England and India offers a perfect entry point for anybody curious about the sport.

The odds are tight, the stakes are incredibly high, and tensions will be even higher, as these two teams just came off a dramatic match at Lord’s that saw England survive by 22 runs on Day 5, which is the cricketing equivalent of an NFL team making a goal-line stand inside the final 2 minutes to hold on for a win, and disappointing over a billion fans in the process.

For those who are cricket-curious, one way to dip your toe in the pool is through betting. As long as it’s done responsibly, gambling can be a vehicle for discovery.