For the third game in a row, the Australians just weren’t good enough against the might of the Indian ODI team and now trail by an unassailable 0-3 margin going into the 4th ODI in Bangalore this Thursday. We preview the upcoming game and give our betting tips below.
Australia will likely go into experimentation mode for the upcoming ODI series in the Ashes tour now that they have officially lost the series against India. Aaron Finch came into the side in game three to replace all-rounder Hilton Cartwright at the top of the order while Peter Handscomb replaced Matthew Wade behind the stumps and in the middle order.
Australia were able to get to a respectable score of 293 batting first on Sunday but on what was a batting wicket in Indore, it was no match for the Indian batting line-up, led by openers Sharma and Rahane who put on 139 for the first wicket.
The series now moves to Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore which is expected to be another decent batting track, one which the newly promoted ODI No.1 ranked Indians will be looking to take advantage of.
The Australians have little more to give this series, with all 15 of their selected touring players playing at least one game of the series so far. It’s likely that Finch will retain his place in the side after a brilliant century in Game 3 while James Faulkner could see a return to action after missing the last two.
Either way the pressure will be on the Australian bowlers to restrict India to a manageable score here, something easier said than done with India boasting four of the top twenty ranked ODI batsman in the world. In contrast, Australia’s David Warner and Steve Smith are the only two batsmen ranked inside the top 25 which mainly highlights the inconsistencies of the Aussie ODI line-up over the last two years.
Those two have been the only mainstays in the Aussie line-up and if one of them falls cheaply on any given day then the chances of Australia winning take a massive hit. Warner hit a well fought 42 in the 3rd ODI but has looked extremely shaky against the medium pace attack of India.
If things go according to plan here the Indians should take the game comfortably, however, Australia rarely lose series in a whitewash, even against the might of India on home soil. Barring their 5-0 defeat at the hands of South Africa last year due to sending a 2nd XI line-up because of conflicting Test matches, the Aussies have never lost a five game ODI series in a whitewash.
Their price has drifted out to $2.50 for this game which we think represents some good value. With all of their inconsistencies the Aussies still boast a handful of real matchwinners who just need to explode for a game to pinch it. Maybe now the pressure is off the Aussies will play more freely.
TIP: Australia to win - $2.50 at Ladbrokes
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