India have already secured the ODI series with Australia but they could reach a landmark tenth win in a row in the format if they can continue their winning run when the two sides meet in the fourth game in Bangalore on Thursday.
Australia will probably have their minds on The Ashes now that the series is done but the two sides will battle in some T20s after the ODIs so the tourists have two more chances to find some form ahead of that.
India
I still don’t think we’ve seen the best of the Indian side in this series but they have played the important moments well and come out on top that way. We haven’t seen an explosive start to finish batting effort from them but we have seen plenty of energy and ability from them in the field which is never a bad thing.
It remains to be seen how well India can maintain their intensity and their focus now that the series is over. That is never an easy thing to do especially when there is so much cricket going on at the minute. It might be that they change their personnel a little bit to ensure they maintain a freshness about them.
Australia
Australia offered more with the bat in the previous match but they just can’t seem to be able to finish their innings off which has to be a growing concern. It might be that they need to switch their batting order around but that is not something they are familiar with doing. Man for man they look to have a good enough line up though.
The last match was the first time that Australia have been able to make inroads into the Indian batting early on. If they are going to get anything that resembles a consolation in this series then they are going to have to bowl better in the middle and latter overs while ensuring they are tight and on point at the top.
Team News
India’s team selection could be up in the air now that the series is won. They could be unchanged or they could choose to give some game time to those who need it ahead of the T20s.
Australia will be forced into one change with Ashton Agar on his way home. Adam Zampa is expected to come in for him. They might decide to rest players like Pat Cummins who is likely to have a big winter.
M Chinnaswamy Stadium
This will be the 25th ODI to be held on this ground. It will be the 20th one which India will have played in. They have won 13 and lost just four of their previous 19 matches with a tie and a no result. Australia are 3-4 with a no result from their eight matches here.
This is usually a high scoring ground with the tiny boundaries and the altitude ensuring that the ball goes further but we know the sub air system is in place now so the wicket is likely to offer some turn at some point.
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Betting
I’m not one to go too big on dead rubbers as a general rule and I’m not going to get too involved in this one but I do expect the sixes to flow once again and there is a top batsman who looks overpriced too.
I’m slightly surprised that the sixes line is only 13.5 for this one. I say that because we’ve just had an ODI with 15 sixes in Indore and without too much in terms of competitiveness in the match there is no reason why the batsmen can’t pin their ears back and let the big shots flow. We saw 15 sixes in the previous match and still the likes of Warner, Maxwell and Head haven’t truly got going. I fancy 14 or more here.
Hardik Pandya has been sent up the order a couple of times in this series and if India want to have a bit of fun they might send him forward again in which case the 14/1 he top scores for India could well look big. He has scores of 83 and 78 in the series thus far and anything in that ball park would have him competitive. This ground isn’t big enough to contain him so at the price he’s worth a go.
Tips
WON – Back Over 13.5 sixes for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with William Hill
Back it here:
Back H.Pandya Top India Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 15.00 with Betfred
Back him here:
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