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Friday, July 8Parramatta Eels ($1.75) v Sydney Roosters ($2.10), Pirtek Stadium at 7:50pmEels: 1. Michael Gordon 2. Semi Radradra 3. Clint Gutherson 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Bevan French 6. Corey Norman 7. Jeff Robson 8. Danny Wicks 9. Isaac De Gois 10. Tim Mannah 11. Manu Mau 12. Tepai Moeroa 13. Beau Scott (c) Interchange: 14. Kenny Edwards 15. Peni Terepo 16. David Gower 17. Daniel Alvaro 18. Rory OBrienRoosters: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Dale Copley 4. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 5. Joseph Manu 6. Jackson Hastings 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Jake Friend (c) 10. Dylan Napa 11. Sio Siua Taukeiaho 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Isaac Liu Interchange: 14. Sam Moa 15. Kane Evans 16. Connor Watson 17. Chris Smith 18. Ryan MattersonUBet verdict: Even though the Roosters have won five of their last seven against the Eels at Pirtek Stadium, Parra has been the best tried team in early trade, backed from $1.75 into their current price. Led by a fit-again Mitchell Pearce, the Bondi Boys looked a new team last round, but a knee injury to star fullback Latrell Mitchell has seen punters sour on their chances.Enter your ESPNfootytips NRL selectionsSaturday, July 9Canterbury Bulldogs ($1.28) v Wests Tigers ($3.75), ANZ Stadium at 7:30pmBulldogs:?1. Will Hopoate 2. Brett Morris 3. Josh Morris 4. Curtis Rona 5. Sam Perrett 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Moses Mbye 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Michael Lichaa 10. James Graham (c) 11. Asipeli Fine 12. Greg Eastwood 13. Danny Fualalo Interchange: 14. Sam Kasiano 15. Tony Williams 16. Tim Browne 17. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 19. Kerrod Holland 21. Craig GarveyTigers:?1. Jordan Rankin 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Tim Simona 4. Kevin Naiqama 5. Joshua Addo-Carr 6. Mitchell Moses 7. Luke Brooks 8. Tim Grant 9. Dene Halatau (c) 10. Sauaso Sue 11. Josh Aloiai 12. Chris Lawrence (c) 13. Elijah Taylor Interchange: 14. JJ Felise 15. Ava Seumanufagai 16. Michael Chee Kam 17. Kyle Lovett 18. Joel EdwardsUBet verdict: Can the Bulldogs win four straight for the first time this season? Early shoppers say no, with Wests well supported in the initial betting skirmish, from $3.75 into their present price. History also favours the Tigers - the away team has won the last two between them, on each occasion by a 13+ Margin.Enter your ESPNfootytips NRL selectionsSunday, July 10Penrith Panthers ($1.45) v Cronulla Sharks ($2.80), Pepper Stadium at 4:00pmPanthers:?1. Matt Moylan (c) 2. Zak Hardaker 3. Waqa Blake 4. Tyrone Peachey 5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 6. Bryce Cartwright 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Leilani Latu 9. Peter Wallace 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Isaah Yeo 12. James Fisher-Harris 13. Trent Merrin Interchange: 14. Suaia Matagi 15. Jeremy Latimore 16. Chris Grevsmuhl 17. Will SmithSharks:?1. Ben Barba 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Ricky Leutele 4. Gerard Beale 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Faamanu Brown 7. Chad Townsend 8. Matt Prior 9. Mick Ennis (c) 10. Sam Tagataese 11. Luke Lewis 12. Jayson Bukuya 13. Chris Heighington Interchange:?14. Matt McIlwrick 15. Jesse Sene-Lefao 16. Kurt Capewell 17. Joseph PauloUBet verdict: Cronulla is flying right now - on a record-breaking 12-match tear - but, thanks to State Of Origin, the Sharks will be without several first-choice stars when they line up against Penrith. Sunday is already shaping as big betting game and the early investment favours the Panthers, who opened $1.55, before being backed in.Enter your ESPNfootytips NRL selectionsMonday, July 11Canberra Raiders ($2.60) v North Queensland Cowboys ($1.50), GIO Stadium at 7:00pmRaiders:?1. Jack Wighton 2. Brenko Lee 3. Jarrod Croker (c) 4. Joey Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Junior Paulo 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Shannon Boyd 11. Sia Soliola 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Shaun Fensom Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste 15. Clay Priest 16. Paul Vaughan 17. Joe TapineCowboys:?1. Lachlan Coote 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Tautau Moga 4. Javid Bowen 5. Antonio Winterstein 6. Rory Kostjasyn (c) 7. Ray Thompson 8. Ben Hannant 9. Jake Granville 10. Scott Bolton 11. Coen Hess 12. Ethan Lowe 13. Jason Taumalolo Interchange: 14. Josh Chudleigh 15. John Asiata 16. Ben Spina 17. Patrick KaufusiUBet verdict: It would be one hell of an effort for a Cowboys side missing seven starting players to Origin and injury to pull a win out of the hat in chilly Canberra on Monday night, but that is exactly what the early betting indicates will happen. Punters are going the value way at this stage, specking the $3.60 on offer for the visitiors.Enter your ESPNfootytips NRL selections Adonis Rosa Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Luis Cessa Yankees Jersey . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. https://www.cheapyankees.com/1851g-david-hale-jersey-yankees.html . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Aaron Hicks Jersey . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. David Hale Yankees Jersey .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. On the eve of their first match during their previous visit to India, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson asked the curator in Nagpur what the pitch was expected to do. Hesson says he was told it was a hard and bouncy pitch. New Zealand went ahead and left out Tim Southee and Trent Boult, played three spinners, attacked the new ball because they knew the old ball would be impossible to go after, scored just 126, but their spinners delivered them a 47-run win. New Zealands reading of the conditions, and then adapting to them, were big reasons behind their unbeaten run in the league stages of the World T20.That was Twenty20. This is Test cricket. New Zealand will draw confidence from that showing, but they wont be deluding themselves based on the World T20. This three-Test series has all the makings of this groups biggest test. New Zealand have only ever won two Tests in India, and may need to double that tally to win this series. But there is anticipation around them, mostly because of what they did in the World T20, in particular their two spinners whose performances suggested they could translate their promise into longer forms. Now, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi are joined by Mark Craig.Never in recent memory has more been expected of a New Zealand tour of India. Never in recent memory have India looked this dominant at home. India have three spinners with much more pedigree and experience of these conditions. Ever since India decided to play on pitches where the ball starts turning early and turns big, beating them in a home Test series has become arguably the biggest challenge in world cricket.With cricket being a game of conditions, it couldnt be more loaded against New Zealand. The only preparation they have had in the move from their tracks to this intense, relentless trial by spin is two training sessions in Delhi, a three-day game on a flat track against unthreatening spinners, and two more training sessions in Kanpur. The heat is stifling. There is high humidity and no breeze in Kanpur right now.The curator at Green Park has said the turn wont be as alarming as it was in Nagpur, but the pitch looks really dry and has cracks. In unusual scenes two days before the Test, the groundstaff asked some net bowlers to bowl on the match pitch. It is technically allowed - the pitch is handed over to the match referee on the morning of the Test - but this is hardly ever done. The poor rating for the Nagpur pitch after the Test against South Africa last year plays on the minds of groundsmen now. There were no puffs of dust, which relieved them. However, there was turn. Dont be surprised either if the spinners business area is drier and rougher than the rest of the pitch, negating Neil Wagners bounce, and accentuating the turn.He hasnt told us it is hard and bouncy as the Nagpur groundsman did, Hesson joked when asked about any conversations he might have had with the groundstaff here.Hesson is not surprised by what he has seen. Unless some grass grows over the next two days, there will be plenty of assistance for the spinners, he said. I think the pitch will deteriorate, as it should. Spin will play a massive part, as will reverse swing. So there are no surprises here.Hesson knows knowing what to expect is different from reacting to it. If one jumps at them, Ravindra Jadeja will keep firing in that general areaa all day with slight variation of angle, and let the pitch do the rest.dddddddddddd R Ashwin will add dip to it. He will swerve it with the new ball. Amit Mishra will add the legspinners X-factor. There will be catchers around, there will be deep fielders to choke easy runs, and there will be no relenting from the heat and humidity. Not in Kanpur and Kolkata at least.The ability to respond with a clear mind and quick feet when the ball starts jumping and staying low comes with solid defence and lots of practice playing on such tracks. Knowing the international schedules today, Hesson said this is possibly the best preparation his side could have had. He has now put it down to the ability to adapt.The conditions here are slightly different than they were in Delhi, Hesson said. Its up to today and tomorrow to make sure we adapt the best we can. And we know even during the game the pitch is going to change, so we have to keep adjusting.Hesson summed up the dual challenge of playing India in these conditions by saying that you have to prepare for the worst, but, at the same time, guard against jumping at shadows, by building it up too much and failing to recognise easier conditions when they come their way.We have watched the Test matches against South Africa, absolutely, Hesson said. We saw the conditions in that series, and they were challenging. There is no doubt about that. If you prepare, over-train in terms of preparing for those conditions and then you get something slightly better, then thats great. You have got to prepare for the harshest conditions and see how it goes from there.I think you can jump at shadows at times [if you prepare for the worst]. I think you need to adapt to what you are confronted with. We have got an idea how we think how the surface might play, but it might be quite different. We are capable of adapting.Adapting quickly won them games in the World T20, but there wont be any quick wins here. We have won two Test matches in our history here, Hesson said. So we know it is a tough place to come and win, as it is for any touring side. And India are playing good cricket at the moment, but we have got a group of cricketers who will be highly competitive. Thats our challenge - to be highly competitive and stay in the game for long periods of time. Then, anything can happen.There is no set formula to beat India in India in this mood, but England showed it can be done if you have four attributes: a solid defensive batsman in Alastair Cook, who showed to the rest that it was possible to bat, a maverick in Kevin Pietersen, who could drive the nail in, two spinners in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, who were accurate and quick, and reverse swing in James Anderson. Lower-order runs can be a big factor as South Africa learned in their defeat despite having reduced India to 120-odd for 6 on more than one occasion.New Zealand have a defensive batsman in Williamson, they have a potential maverick if Ross Taylor can have a big series, they have spinners and the variety of spinners, although unproven at this level, and they have the possibility of reverse swing. They bat deep. If all, or most these factors click, they can take games deep. Then, anything can happen. ' ' '