With an unassailable 3-1 lead over Australia, India will be looking to put an exclamation mark on this series when they host Game 5 in Bangalore.
Fringe players from both teams have just one more chance to impress before the squads regroup after a gruelling white ball schedule.
Check out our preview and best bets below before the first ball is bowled at 12:30am (AEDT) in Bangalore.
India vs Australia 5th T20 Preview & Betting Tips
Bangalore, Monday 4th December, 12:30am (AEDT)
As expected, India took advantage of a further weakened Australian outfit to record a comfortable 20-run win in Raipur.
With Shreyas Iyer back in the XI, India were sent in to bat by Matthew Wade and found the going tough early, before Jaiswal and Gaikwad found their rhythm.
Both made it past 30, establishing a platform for Rinku Singh to capitalise at the back end of the innings once again. The exciting left-hander struck 46 off 29 balls and, assisted by Jitesh Sharma (35 off 19), propelled India to a competitive if slightly under par total of 9/174.
It was well and truly spin to win with the ball, as Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi put the brakes on Australia after a fast start and then cleaned up the top order.
Patel took 3/16, including the big wicket of Travis Head, while Bishnoi was equally economical with 1/17 off his four overs.
Both bowlers have been exceptional throughout this series, and I fully expect them to cause Australia’s batsmen plenty of problems in the final game of the series. Each of India’s batsmen have made a contribution at some point over the four games so far, leaving the coaches and selectors with plenty to ponder ahead of future engagements.
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’s depleted XI put up a good fight in Raipur, but still fell 20 runs short in a seemingly inevitable outcome.
Jason Behrendorff continued his strong run of form with figures of 2/32, however India got on top in the middle overs, before Ben Dwarshuis fought back late to finish with three wickets of his own.
Overall, it was a decent performance from the bowlers, but Australia’s batting woes against spin were back on display after the interval.
Travis Head (31 off 16) gave the Aussies the fast start they were craving, but Patel and Bishnoi quickly accounted for Phillipe, McDermott and Hardie while halting the run scoring.
In the end, a trademark cameo from Matthew Wade (36* off 23) was merely consolation, with the Australian ‘B’ team mustering just 7/154.
Considering just 13 players are available for selection, it’s tough to see many changes to the XI for Game 5, so a similar result is likely.
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
Having sent nearly all their stars home to prepare for the local summer, Australia simply don’t have the men on the ground to suggest that a win is likely in the final game of this T20 series.
India, on the other hand, have a far more balanced squad to choose from, including two top spinners who have consistently beaten the Australian batsmen.
Pick the home side wrap up this series in emphatic style.
Player Prop Quick Tips
Player Wickets Markets – Axar Patel > Chris Green - $2.30 (Ladbrokes) – Axar Patel has been one of the standout bowlers in this series, taking five wickets including three in Game 4. Conversely, Green appeared nervous at times in his debut international appearance, dropping a few balls short during a wicket-less return. As such, Patel looks the likely winner of this matchup.
