Off the back of six rapid fire ODIs against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, Australia will now turn their attention to the upcoming T20 World Cup with a three-game series against cricketing powerhouse India.
The Aussies performed well on home soil to beat both Zimbabwe and the Black Caps, but there is no doubt that a series on Indian shores will be a whole different kettle of fish.
Josh Nevett takes a close look at the contest with his free preview and cricket betting tips below.
India vs Australia 1st T20 Preview & Betting Tips
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Wednesday September 21st, 12:00am (AEST)
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandaran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah
Australia: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Finch (c), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa
Match Preview
These two sides bring differing form lines into this contest, the Australians filled with confidence after their recent limited overs performances. Superb bowling efforts helped the home team to a 3-0 clean sweep of the Black Caps – T20 regulars Adam Zampa (7 wickets), Mitch Starc (6), and Glenn Maxwell (4) were all in the wickets, making light work of New Zealand’s talented batting line-up.
Australia’s batting was slightly more fragile on a tricky surface in Cairns, but again it was the key players who stood up. Steve Smith scored the most runs in the series (167) and Cameron Green was also impressive (114).
The preceding series against Zimbabwe (2-1) was also a relative success. However, a shock upset in the last game has surely sharpened up the mentality of the squad.
For this series, Australia will go into battle with a revised squad. Mitch Starc (knee), Mitch Marsh (ankle) and Marcus Stoinis (side) will all miss with respective injuries, while David Warner has been rested ahead of next month's T20 World Cup title defence. Right-arm quick Nathan Ellis, big hitting all-rounder Daniel Sams and veteran Sean Abbott have been added to the squad to replace them.
India, on the other hand, will be taking this trio of games seriously after they bowed out of the T20 Asia Cup in the Super Four stage. The star-studded team was defeated by Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the eventual tournament finalists, so they will be looking to turn things around against Australia.
The inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah in the squad is a massive boost, while fellow paceman Harshal Patel is also listed. Virat Kohli is back in form after a fine series in which he accumulated 276 runs at an average of 92. On the bowling front, experienced swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar could cause the Aussies some issues after taking a standout 11 wickets in the Asia Cup.
So, who wins this one? India will relish playing in home conditions and have historically have the upper hand against Australian opposition, having won 60% of the T20 Internationals between the two teams.
Both teams have mixed form in the format, but India arguably enter this series with the stronger squad. Warner and Marsh will both be sorely missed by the Aussies, as will Mitch Starc who is a proven wicket taker. As a result, the visitors’ weaker team will comprise of some players who are unproven at international level. Therefore, I think the home side will get the job done in Game 1 in front of a raucous home crowd.
Prop Bets
KL Rahul has been backed to open the batting for India and is well placed to score well at the top of the order. He averages nearly 30 against Australia in T20s and has an ever better average of 36 in home T20 matches.
KL Rahul Over 24.5 Runs ($1.83 Ladbrokes)
Australia has shown weakness at the top of the order in recent times, especially in the case of Aaron Finch whose output has declined sharply. He scored just 5, 0 and 5 against NZ in the ODI series and will likely pair with Josh Inglis at the top of the order, so I can see India making early inroads.
Australia Fall of Wicket 1 Under 21.5 ($1.83 Ladbrokes)
