India took control of this T20 series with a second consecutive win in Kerala, leaving Australia with a massive mountain to climb in the remaining three T20 international games.
Both teams have produced plenty of fireworks with the bat so far, giving fans one hell of a show as Australia’s time in India nears its end.
Check out our preview and best bets for the 3rd T20 match below before the first ball is bowled at 12:30am (AEDT) early Wednesday morning in Barsapara.
India vs Australia 3rd T20 Preview & Betting Tips
Barsapara, Wednesday 29th November, 12:30am (AEDT)
Not content with a post-World Cup consolation win in Visakhapatnam, India continued to assert their dominance on this T20 series with a 44-run victory in Kerala.
Batting first, the top three of Jaiswal, Gaikwad and Kishan all reached 50, the latter batsman following up his fine knock from Game 1 in fine style.
With a perfect platform set, Rinku Singh (31 off 9 balls) produced an explosive cameo at the end of the innings to propel India to 4/235, an imposing total.
After a sub-par performance in the series opener, the bowlers stood up on Sunday night, taking nine wickets as Australia fell well short of the target.
Ravi Bishnoi and Prasidh Krishna took three wickets each to decimate Australia’s explosive batting line-up, leg-spinner Bishnoi the pick of the bowlers with 3/32 in batter friendly conditions.
With that said, Axar Patel also made a valuable contribution, conceding just six runs per over in his four over spell.
There hasn’t been much rotation of the side so far, but Shreyas Iyer is set to return in Game 4, and we might get a look at some different names on Tuesday night.
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 will be disappointed with their performance in Game 2, showing signs of fatigue as they slumped to a 44-run loss.
World Cup stars Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa returned to the XI for this fixture, but neither were able to make an impact with the ball as Australia were belted around the park, conceding nearly 12 runs per over.
Nathan Ellis snagged three wickets, but every bowler was expensive, with Maxwell and Abbott conceding 19 runs per over.
The batting innings was similarly underwhelming. A successful run chase was never really in the picture as the Aussies slipped to 4/58 before Marcus Stoinis (45 off 25), Tim David (37 off 22) and Matthew Wade (42 off 23) added some respectability to the scoreline.
While this series counts for little in the grand scheme of things, members of the Australian camp will be hoping to leave India on a positive note, so I expect to see Travis Head recalled sooner rather than later for some extra firepower.
With the next game scheduled just 48 hours after the last, fatigue may increasingly influence this series, especially considering how fresh India’s squad is compared to Australia’s.
Australia Squad: Matthew Wade (c), Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa
My faith in Australia is beginning to waver, and most of the money is going towards India since they took a 2-0 lead in the series.
It’s hard to argue with the punters this time around, as Australia’s bowlers have really struggled in top batting conditions, conceding two 200+ scores.
While India have not been miles better with the ball, they have done enough to secure two victories and I’m backing the home side to make it three on the trot.
Player Prop Quick Tips
Most Sixes – India - $1.73 (Ladbrokes) – India have won the six count in both matches, and would have dominated this stat if not for Josh Inglis’ heroics in Game 1. Given that I’m predicting another win for the hosts, it makes sense to back their batsmen to clear the rope on more occasions than the Australian batsmen.
