The most anticipated Test series on Australian shores kicks off on Friday morning as Australia and India face off in Perth. It’s the two best teams in the world facing off, in what is sure to be an enthralling series. Jack Tobin has you covered with his full match preview and best bets for the First Test below. Good luck to everyone following!
Australia vs India: 1st Test Preview & Betting Tips
Optus Stadium, Friday 21st November, 1:20pm AEDT
Australia
Starting XI: Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc
Australia’s eleven was confirmed a couple of weeks ago when Nathan McSweeney was announced in the squad as the opener to partner Usman Khawaja, alongside Josh Inglis who is the reserve batsmen. McSweeney earned his place after a magnificent start to the Sheffield Shield season, where he has scored 297 runs at an average of 97, with two 50’s and a century. McSweeney all but sealed his spot with an unbeaten 88 against India A to guide Australia A to victory in McKay in October.
The World Test Champions are playing their first test match since March, where Australia defeated New Zealand 2-0 away from home. The Aussies had a big 2023 with away Test series against India and England, before home series against Pakistan and the West Indies. Across Australia’s last 15 Tests which dates from March 2023 to March 2024, they have won 10, drawn 2 and lost 3. Australia are currently the number one ranked Test team in the world, boasting 4 of the top 13 ranked Test batters and 4 of the top 11 ranked bowlers.
Australia jumped into first place in the World Test Championship after India’s 3-0 defeat against New Zealand, and are in the box seat to make the final once again. Five wins across their next seven matches against India and Sri Lanka will guarantee a spot, four wins will likely be enough to get through. It means winning this series against India won’t be enough, they need to do it in a convincing matter if they want to guarantee an opportunity to go back-to-back as World Test Champions
India
Likely XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna
Unlike Australia, India’s eleven has been far from settled with some known absences, but some late injury chaos throwing India’s preparation into turmoil. Captain Rohit Sharma was always going to miss one of the first two Tests due to the birth of his second child, the skipper will be back for the second Test in Adelaide. Shubman Gill suffered a fractured thumb whilst fielding which means India are having to replace their opening batsmen, number three and likely their number six position after their horrific performance against New Zealand.
The experienced KL Rahul will likely open the batting given his previous experience, although he is badly out of form averaging 22 across his last three Tests and the tour match against Australia A when he scored only 4 and 10 at the MCG. 24-year-old Devdutt Padikall looks set to play his second Test match, batting at number 3 in place of Shubman Gill. Dhruv Jurel looks set to leapfrog Sarfaraz Khan into number 6 after some outstanding performances for India A against Australia A a few weeks ago. While most of his teammates failed at the MCG, Jurel stood tall with knocks of 80 and 68 to keep his side in the game on a difficult pitch.
Jurel scored 190 runs at an average of 63.33 in his first three Test matches after being selected against England earlier this year, scoring some crucial knocks with India under pressure. Jurel has a resilience that the incumbent Sarfaraz Khan does not have, who although scored a blistering 150 in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand, failed to get past 11 in his other five innings across the series, which were characterised by some horrendous dismissals.
Match Prediction
There is plenty on the line in this clash, the World Number one ranking, first place in the World Test Championship and legacies will be defined this summer. Can India win three Test series in a row in Australia? Can Pat Cummins’ side continue to establish themselves as one of the best sides Australia has ever produced? Can Steve Smith or Virat Kohli wind back the clock and produce a vintage performance to help their side to victory?
Curator Isaac McDonald has stated in the media that this will be a pitch with plenty of pace and bounce that fans have become accustomed to seeing in Perth. There has been plenty of rain this week in Perth meaning the wicket likely won’t deteriorate like it did in the Test against Pakistan last year. Over the last four years the ball has had the better of the bat, so the batting unit that can withstand the pressure of the quality bowling attacks that both sides have, will go a long way to winning this match.
India struggled badly on a seam friendly wicket in the First Test against New Zealand, so Australia’s pace attack have a massive opportunity to make early inroads against an out of form Indian batting unit, that is missing arguably its best batsman in Shubman Gill.
Australia have loved playing in Perth, winning all four matches at Optus Stadium by margins of 146 runs, 296 runs, 164 runs and 360 runs. The first of those four wins was a win over India back in 2018, and Australia know they simply must start strong if they want to win this series. Given India’s horror series against New Zealand and the forced changes to their batting line up it puts Australia in a strong position for the opening Test.
Australia to Win
$1.40 (2 Units)
Prop Bet
Runs at the top of the order have been hard to come by in recent seasons in Australia, which leaves plenty of value in some of Australia’s middle and lower order top scoring. Last summer’s Test series against Pakistan and the Ashes series the summer prior saw Mitch Marsh (344 runs at 86) and Travis Head (357 runs at 59.50) as the leading run scorers respectively.
Alex Carey has been in red hot form in the Sheffield Shield this season, sitting as the leading run scorer with 452 runs at an average of 90.40, with two centuries in three matches. It comes off the back of a match winning 98* in the second Test against New Zealand in his last Test match, as well as knocks of 74, 77* and 13 in the ODI series in September against England.
Alex Carey – Top Australia 1st Innings Run Scorer
$12.50
