The T20 series between Australia and India is really hotting up and the two sides head to Carrara for the penultimate match of the five on Thursday with the scores level at a win each so whoever wins here will go one up with two to play.
That will make things even more competitive between two sides who are always at it when they face off, added by the fact that both are preparing for a T20 World Cup which is beginning to loom on the horizon as well.
Australia
After winning the opening match that was finished in Melbourne, Australia will have been disappointed to go to Hobart and lose in the fashion that they did. They probably would have felt at halfway like they had the sort of score on the board that they could defend but at no real stage in the run chase could they get complete control of the run rate and in the end they were beaten pretty easily so they are going to need to dust themselves down and go again here.
We are getting into the stage of the series where those who are involved in The Ashes have already left or are leaving so Australia could have done with defending that score in Hobart as on paper at least their bowling attack is only going to get weaker the longer the series goes on. That in turn is likely to make Australia go even harder with the bat and play a much riskier style in the quest for as big a score as possible, certainly if they are batting first.
India
After completely fluffing their lines in the second game in Melbourne, the Indian response in Hobart was commendable and got them back into the series and now they head to the Gold Coast looking to pick up the win which will guarantee then a share of the spoils before they get to Brisbane for the final game at the weekend. There is still a bit of improvement to come from them but the level they showed overall in Hobart is good enough to win more matches than they lose.
The test for India will be if they are asked to bat first again here. They made a mess of doing it in Melbourne but when they had the total in front of them in Hobart they were visibly a lot more comfortable. This isn’t a ground which stages cricket regularly so there could be something in the pitch which is likely to help India as Australia want pitches where they can trust the bounce and hit through the line which might not be what they get here.
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Team News
Travis Head has now departed to prepare for The Ashes so Matt Short is expected to replace him at the top of the order for Australia while Ben Dwarshuis is back in the squad and likely to come into the bowling attack. Australia will be hoping that Glenn Maxwell is available too.
Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to be fit again after injury and if he is then he could well replace Shivam Dube who came in miles too late in Melbourne and who was expensive with the ball in Hobart. That is likely to be the only change India make.
Betting
We don’t get too much cricket on this ground but when the Big Bash League is played here the matches are not terribly high scoring. The wicket here can often be low and slow and batters have to really get themselves in before they are comfortable to start going big, but even then the straighter boundaries take some clearing. Those aren’t necessarily conditions that Australia tend to produce their best cricket in so I’m not surprised that India are favourites for this match.
The question is whether you think the 3/4 price that they are is any sort of value. I wouldn’t suggest it is insane value but conditions are in their favour and Australia are now missing three key players in their regular T20 line up in Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood and Cameron Green who are preparing for The Ashes. This series is getting all of the Indian attention and with the amount of spin they can send down and the depth they have with the bat I do think this is a good chance for them to go one up with one to play.
Tips
Back India to beat Australia for a 3/10 stake at 1.75 with Betway
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