A massive upset in the 1st Test saw the Australians take a 1-0 lead in their series against India, and if they can manage a win in the 2nd Test starting Saturday in Bangalore, they’ll retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia will be full of confidence after winning their first Test in India since 2005, but the Indian curators will most likely be producing a more bat friendly wicket in Bangalore to attempt to get their star studded batting line-up back in the groove of things. After falling for 105 and 107 in Pune, Virat Kohli will be praying the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Lokesh Rahul and Murali Vijay, along with himself can find some form in Bangalore.
Apart from Steve Smith’s ton in the second innings, the Australian batting performance was fairly lacklustre. Mitch Starc dug his teammates out of a hole in the 1st innings with an aggressive 61 while there was no real support for Smith in the second, with multiple players getting starts but eventually becoming undone by the spin of Ashwin and Jadeja.
It was Australia’s bowling that ultimately won them the match, and in particular inexperienced spinner Steven O’Keefe. In just his fifth Test, the left arm orthodox spinner claimed the best ever figures by an Australian in India, finishing the Test with 12/70.
The Indian batsmen should be better prepared for O’Keefe this match after having seen him bowl over 30 overs now, and while it should still be a spin friendly wicket, I wouldn’t expect him to have as great an impact in this game.
The word is that the pitch at Chinnaswamy Stadium will play like more of a conventional Indian pitch, in that it will be great to bat on the first few days before crumbling up and becoming conducive to spin on days 3-5. Jadeja and Ashwin will go about their business here and claim regular wickets regardless of the pitch, the key man for India is really Virat Kohli.
TIP: Ravi Ashwin top Indian Bowler - $2.50 at Sportsbet
So much relies on India’s ability to put a big score on the board in their first innings, and if they win the toss here I can easily see them putting up an unassailable lead while the pitch is playing true over the first few days.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Mitch Marsh retains his spot in the middle order. With O’Keefe and Lyon bowling so many overs in Pune, Marsh wasn’t needed with the ball at all, so the question has to be asked, what’s he doing in the team? In his defence, both of India’s innings were short, and on a better batting track where India could likely bat for days on end, he’ll probably get the nod again here.
Brother Shaun could also be on the chopping block after a miserable outing, scoring just 16 runs in the 1st match. Usman Khawaja looks the ready-made replacement with his ability to bat anywhere in the line-up.
Value Play: Usman Khawaja top Australian Batsmen - $5 at bet365
While their bowling line-up looks set, India could be in for a change to their top six, with a few players failing in Pune and Karun Nair knocking on the door after scoring a ridiculous triple-ton in their one-off game against Bangladesh last month.
Value Play: Karun Nair top Indian Batsman - $9 at bet365
Regardless of the Pune result, you have to like India’s chances here. If reports are correct and the pitch will indeed play more like a conventional sub-continent wicket, then you need to look no further than India’s 18 Test unbeaten home run that was snapped by the Aussies last game.
We will also be getting some boosted odds for the Indians here after their loss, so I’m comfortable taking them to square the ledger here.
TIP: India to win - $1.90 at bet365
If there’s such a thing as a clutch player in cricket, Kohli is the epitome of the word. Time and time again he has come up big when India has needed him the most, and he won’t let his poor performance in the 1st Test deter his ability to be the most dominant batsmen in the world. A bet on him to top score for the Indian’s is always relatively safe.
TIP: Virat Kohli top Indian Batsman - $3 at Sportsbet
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