All seemed lost for Australia in this series with a few overs to play in Barsapara, but more heroics from Glenn Maxwell saw his team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, reigniting the series.
Parity will be tough to achieve for the men in green and gold though, given that several stars have now headed home for a well-earned break ahead of the Australian summer.
Check out our preview and best bets below before the first ball is bowled at 12:30am (AEDT) in Raipur.
India vs Australia 4th T20 Preview & Betting Tips
Raipur, Saturday 2nd December, 12:30am (AEDT)
It was a case of more of the same in Game 3 for India, with the batsmen dominating in a high scoring affair.
Despite a couple of early wickets falling, India’s second choice hitters yet again showed their ability to perform at international level, tallying 3/222.
That’s three 200+ scores in a row, two of those scores topping 220.
Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was unstoppable in his knock of 123 off 57 balls, including seven maximums, while skipper Suryakumar Yadav yet again chipped in with 39 off 29.
As has been the case throughout the series so far, the bowling failed to match the quality of the batting.
Ravi Bishnoi (2/32 off four overs) was the best performer again, backing up his three-wicket performance in Game 2, but none of the quicks were able to take wickets or restrict the scoring, with Prasidh Krishna conceding a whopping 68 runs.
Reinforcements are on the way for Game 4, but not in the bowling department – Shreyas Iyer has joined the squad after his short break, bolstering the top order for the final two matches.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer
Australia pulled one from the fire in Barsapara, Glenn Maxwell almost single handedly securing the victory.
Jason Behrendorff (1/12 off four overs) produced a brilliant spell with the new ball to delay India’s run spree, but he received little support, with no other bowling achieving an economy rate less than nine.
Faced with a hefty chase, Travis Head did his best to propel Australia forward early in the innings, scoring 35 off 18 in his first game since the World Cup Final.
Like the bowling innings, support was hard to come by until Glenn Maxwell strode to the crease, the in-form stroke maker getting into his work quickly.
Maxwell found a partner in Matthew Wade and the pair kept the game within reach, although only just.
Requiring 43 off the final two overs, ‘Maxi’ then shifted gears, helping his team to blast 45 in the final 12 balls and win the game.
The series is still alive at 2-1, but Australia’s priorities are clearly elsewhere, as the squad has been heavily revised for the final two games.
Maxwell, Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott have all flown home, weakening the player pool significantly, with Ben Dwarshuis, Chris Green, Ben McDermott and Josh Philippe coming in as replacements.
Australia Squad: Matthew Wade (c), Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Chris Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Kane Richardson
The results in this series have been tough to pick so far, but the winner of this fourth game appears straightforward to predict.
The core of Australia’s squad has been removed, including the matchwinner from Game 3, while India have regained a class batter in Shreyas Iyer, so all the signs point towards a comfortable victory for the hosts.
Player Prop Quick Tips
Player Wickets Markets – Ravi Bishnoi > Tanveer Sangha - $2.45 (Ladbrokes) – Bishnoi has been the standout bowler in this series with six wickets, while Sangha has managed just one. Australia’s batting has been weakened ahead of this fourth match, so Bishnoi is primed to have another night out, and he should outperform Sangha again.
