A remarkable turnaround in Indore saw the Australians pick up a nine wicket victory, and now head into the final Test of the series with a chance to draw the series. India will be desperate to bounce back and secure their spot in the World Test Championship Final, so there’s plenty on the line for the final Test of the series.
It's going to be a remarkable spectacle at in front of a jam packed stadium in Ahmedabad, and Jack Tobin has got you covered with his preview and tips for the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. Be sure to go check out our Cricket Tips page for coverage of all of our Test previews!
India vs Australia 4th Test Betting Tips
Ahmedabad, 9th-13th March, 3.00pm (AEDT)
India
Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Kona Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Rohit Sharma made remarkably open comments during the third Test that if India won, they would request a green pitch for the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. The Indians capitulated on an atrocious pitch in Indore which saw them beaten on the morning session of day 3, so despite the defeat it wouldn’t be surprising if a green pitch is served up at the Narendra Modi Stadium. If that is the case, then it would be likely that Mohammad Shami would come back into the side at the expense of Axar Patel.
India’s attempts to create pitches that make it impossible for opposing sides to succeed, backfired in the Third Test as the pitch in Indore proved near impossible to bat on. The Indians were bowled out on Day one for 109 and for 163 on Day Two, as Matthew Kuhnemann (5/16) and Nathan Lyon (8/64) tore through the Indians in each respective innings.
Umesh Yadav was a bright spark during the defeat in the Third Test, with a stunning spell early on day two taking 3/12. Yadav will be a tough matchup for the Australian middle and lower order, particularly if the conditions are suited for the seamers. From a batting perspective, it will be fascinating to see how some of India’s less experienced players like Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Ks Bharat handle conditions that they won’t have had much experience in.
Australia
Predicted XI: Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon
The pitch generally determines the makeup of the Australian side, however given the lack of seam bowling options with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood out of the squad, Australia could go unchanged into the fourth Test. The one possible inclusion could be Scott Boland in for one of Todd Murphy or Matthew Kuhnemann, however given Cameron Green only bowled two overs last week, he could be entrusted as the second seamer alongside Mitchell Starc.
Australia produced a stunning fight back to pick up a dominant win in the Third Test at Indore. Nathan Lyon (8/64) and Matthew Kuhnemann (5/16) led the way with the ball, while Usman Khawaja (60) and Travis Head (49*) got the job done with the bat. Considering the magnitude of the defeats in the first two Tests of the series, losing Pat Cummins, David Warner and Josh Hazlewood after the second Test, it will go down as one of Australia’s best Test wins in the modern era.
This will be Australia’s first Test match at the newly rebuilt Narendra Modi Stadium, the venue hosted its first Test post rebuild in 2021. The two Tests that have been played at the venue since the rebuild that now sees the venue hold a capacity of 132,000, saw India smash England by 10 wickets, and an innings and 25 runs. Those two Tests were played on pitches that were similar to Indore, however it will be a different prospect under the conditions that will likely present themselves on Thursday. It will be an intense experience for Australia with the attendance record for a Test match likely to be broken on Day one, however given Australia’s experience playing in front of big crowds at the MCG, they should be able to handle the occasion.
Match Prediction
As always the conditions will play a massive factor in this Test, and after the scenes in Indore, expect India to be creating a surface that fits exactly to what they want. With India requiring a win to secure a position in the World Test Championship Final against Australia, they’ll be going all out to make sure they win this Test. With a likely record breaking crowd in Ahmedabad, it’s going to be a special spectacle.
India’s two matches played in the rebuilt stadium at Ahmedabad were two dominant victories, and although there will be different conditions, the Australian batting unit hasn’t been traditionally strong on green pitches against the swinging ball. India will be desperate to bounce back after a horror performance last week, and make sure this series doesn’t end in a draw.
Prop Bets
When wickets were tumbling at will on the first morning of the third Test, Virat Kohli stood tall with 22 off 52 in a defiant knock given the conditions. It built on the back of the 44 he scored in Delhi, and had the pitches not been so difficult to bat on this series, Kohli could have put up some huge scores. Kohli loves the big stage, and will be looking to make his mark against Australia in front of a record crowd at Ahmedabad.
Virat Kohli Over 29.5 First Innings Runs, $1.83 with Ladbrokes
Usman Khawaja has produced some excellent knocks in this series, particularly in the first innings. Khawaja has scored 81 and 60 in the first innings of the last two Tests, and has proven his method can succeed in the most difficult conditions. The opener has laid the platform in the last two matches, and if he can do it again, will give Australia a massive chance in this Test.
Usman Khawaja Over 24.5 First Innings Runs, $1.83 with Ladbrokes
