If you’re an Australian cricket fan, you’d obviously have to be disappointed in the result of the 2nd Test in Bengaluru. But as a lover of the game, the way this series is shaping up could see it go down as one of the all-time greats. So far, it has had everything, one win a piece, on and off-field drama, turning pitches and plenty of wickets. The series heads to Ranchi on Thursday, the 16th for the beginning of the 3rd Test.
Everything will be on the line for the Indians in the 3rd Test. A win for Australia would see them retain the Border-Gavaskar while an Indian win would mean they would only need to hold out for a draw in the 4th Test to claim the trophy.
Australia will be forced into playing a revamped side for the 3rd Test as their dup of Mitch’s, Starc and Marsh, have both been sent home due to injury. It creates 2 vacancies in the Australian line-up, with the number six selection possibilities sparking some fierce debate. There are a few options that the selectors could be tossing up at this point. A ready-made replacement who can offer seam bowling would be Victorian Marcus Stoinis, however, given Marsh had only bowled 5 overs in the 2nd Test, the selectors might lean more towards a genuine batsman in Glenn Maxwell or Usman Khawaja.
Starc’s replacement seems to be a two-horse race between reliable paceman Jackson Bird, who has been touring with the Aussies all series, or exciting young quick Pat Cummins. With the need for a genuine strike bowler who can extract pace and bounce out of the wickets in Starc’s absence, my bet is they will go with Cummins ahead of Bird, who is a similar bowler to Josh Hazlewood.
India will likely go into the 3rd Test unchanged. Opening batsman Rohit Sharma was eyeing a return from injury, however, the selectors left him off the squad they announced for the 3rd and 4th Tests late last week.
The Australian’s got their first look at the Ranchi pitch last week, and per reports, were bemused at the state of it just a few days out from start of play. The Australian media has jumped all over the story, labelling the preparation of the pitches throughout the series a conspiracy after clearly visible patches tailormade for Indian star Ravi Ashwin could be seen on the Ranchi pitch. Some reports are even saying the pitch could be worse than the 1st Test strip in Pune, which was rated as poor by the ICC.
While it certainly doesn’t bode well for the Australian’s who will have to deal with Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja what will likely be a turning wicket, the Australian’s have proven they are up to the challenge with their own spin duo. Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon have given the Indian batsmen problems all series and if Pune is anything to go by it should be another match dominated by spin bowling here.
It’s hard to predict the top batsmen on wickets like the ones being produced in India. The only ton we’ve seen so far came from Steve Smith in an innings that saw him give several chances, so luck is definitely a factor for the batsmen. If I had to go with any Aussie to top the run scorers, however, it would be Smith, who has proven himself as one of the best players of spin time and time again.
TIP: Steve Smith Top Run Scorer AUS (1st Innings) - $3.50 at Sportsbet
From the 4 Indian innings, so far this series, Steve O’Keefe or Nathan Lyon have claimed the most wickets for Australia on 3 occasions. If the pitch reports are anything to go by here it’s going to be another wicket like Pune which saw O’Keefe claim two 6 wicket hauls. A bet for Lyon or O’Keefe to claim the most wickets in the 1st innings for Australia is a lock, or if you want to wait for the 2nd innings, it’s an absolute certainty. Both around the $3.25-3.50 mark, you can effectively get at least $1.62 for either of them to take the most wickets.
TIP: Nathan Lyon or Steve O’Keefe Most Wickets Australia (1st Innings) - $3.25 and $3.50 respectively at Sportsbet
Another turning wicket only has me thinking one thing, how are the Aussies to survive another barrage of spin from Ashwin and Jadeja who are now tied for the number 1 ranking amongst all Test bowlers. The Indians are ties 1-1 with Virat Kohli having no impact on the series whatsoever so far. I think a breakout game from him is inevitable and the Indian’s go 2-1 up here.
TIP: India to win - $1.66 at bet365
Always Gamble Responsibly.
