Game 1 of the quickfire T20 series between India and Australia was a showcase of batting skill from both sides, with the visitors claiming a dramatic upset victory.
As such, Game 2 is sure to be another tight contest with the hosts aiming to get their World Cup preparations back on track.
Josh Nevett takes a close look at Game 2 of the T20 series between India and Australia with his free preview and cricket betting tips below.
India vs Australia: T20 Game 2 Preview & Betting Tips
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, Saturday September 24th, 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
The perfect recipe for plenty of runs presented itself in Game 1 – short boundaries, a flat pitch, poor bowling and dropped catches.
Both batting line-ups capitalised, Australia getting over the line by four wickets despite India topping 200.
Emerging star Cameron Green was the hero for the Aussies, scoring 61 off 30 balls at the top to guide the chase after conceding 46 runs off three overs with the ball.
Veteran wicketkeeper Matthew Wade then complemented Green’s opening barrage, scoring 45* to close out the game.
While the Aussies were impressive with the bat, India will rue several missed chances in the field, as well as poor execution at the death with the ball.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the home side though.
Axar Patel took 3-17 in the middle overs, going at an economy rate that the other bowlers could only dream of. In the first innings, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya all made it past 40 and looked confident.
Looking ahead to Game 2, it will be interesting to see if either team makes any changes.
Key quick Jasprit Bumrah was absent from the Indian line-up despite being selected in the squad. It is clear that his fitness for the World Cup is being prioritised, but surely he plays at some point in this three-game series.
Many were surprised to see Green open the batting with Aaron Finch for Australia, especially given he is a placeholder for David Warner and will not take part in the World Cup.
If the experiment failed then a reshuffle would have been likely. However, given Green’s success I can see Australia fronting up with the same batting group in Game 2.
So, which side will produce the goods in the second encounter?
I was heavy on India before Game 1 and that has slightly changed having seen their lack of quality death bowling.
However, if they held their catches then the game could have been wrapped up far earlier, and on paper the hosts still look the better side. The markets reflect this.
India to win.
Prop Bets
Patel was the standout bowler for India in Game 1, taking three wickets at just over four runs per over. Spin tends to be Australia’s Achilles heel and Patel particularly benefits from the visitors having a plethora of right-handed batsmen.
India Top Wicket Taker – Axar Patel $5.00 (Ladbrokes)
While India did not get over the line the other night, their batsmen looked on song and three were able to post 40+ scores. Any of their top six can produce a huge knock without notice, whereas on the Australian side there are less proven scorers.
Team of Top Runscorer - India $1.70 (Ladbrokes)
