After successfully brushing off the Indian challenge on the most batting-friendly pitches ever encountered in ODIs in Australia, the Aussies will be looking to make light work of the visitors in the 2016 T20 series. The three-match T20 series will kick-off with the first encounter on Australia Day at the Adelaide Oval.
Both sides will be eager to take stock of their reserves for the upcoming World Cup although the pitches in Australia will be a far cry from the ones they encounter for the World Cup in India. But, the fringe players will be eager to stake claim and book their place in the squad.
Aaron Finch will lead the Aussie squad which is a mixture of exciting young talent and proven old heads. Almost all of them have played their part in the just concluded Big Bash League which should help them start well. Chris Lynn is one who has caught the eye with his big hitting in the BBL and should be a great value for the home side.
Same is the case with Travis Head who will also be looking to impress before the T20 World Cup. With Steven Smith and David Warner present only for the first game, there is a good chance that both of them will get a chance to impress in this series.
Bowling will have a BBL flavor too with Andrew Tye, the master of death bowling, and leg spinner Cameron Boyce expected to make a mark. However, all eyes will be on Shaun Tait who makes a long-awaited comeback to the Australian side. Will his pace earn him a ticket to the World Cup?
India lost comprehensively but they ran the Aussies close more than once in the ODI series. MS Dhoni will be under pressure to stop the rut in the T20s and leads a squad which is high on IPL experience. Ironically, despite their familiarity with the format, this Indian side never mastered the T20s on international stage.
Some of the senior players like Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan make a comeback to the Indian side along with Suresh Raina who comes fresh from winning the Indian domestic T20 trophy. There are a lot of expectations in the Indian camp on the hard-hitting all-rounder Hardik Pandya who will be watched with a lot of interest.
Australia has an edge considering the conditions and hot form of their BBL players, although this format is an anti-thesis to all these standard rules.
Australia are the $1.47 favourites to win the first match of the series, but perhaps there’s more value in the series betting markets. An Australia 2-1 series score at odds of $2.10 at Sportsbet looks enticing.
Watch out for Shikhar Dhawan who may turn out to be the best batsman for India in the first match at odds of $4.00 at CrownBet. For Australia, it’s hard to go hard the electric form of Chris Lynn who offers some value for punters at $5.50. And if you back either of these players at CrownBet, they have a special bonus promotion available (excluding NSW, SA and WA).
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
