Australia v India
Adelaide Oval
6-10 November 2018
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick off this Thursday at the Adelaide Oval with Australia hosting India in the first test. It will be one of the most anticipated test series in a long time after the infamous South African tour earlier in the year. As a result, Australia will be without their skipper Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft due to suspension. Which will give India huge confidence of finally overcoming their demons in Australia. They're yet to win a test series Down Under in history and Virat Kohli will be keen to become the first Indian captain to do so.
In Test Cricket, Australia is coming off a fairly poor series in the UAE against Pakistan. They survived in the first test thanks to Usman Khawaja's 141 in the second innings. In the second test, Australia were no match for Pakistan, going down by 373 runs. But in Australian conditions, it's hard to forget Australia's dominant Ashes victory last season.
India comfortably swept the West Indies in their latest test series (2-0), which was played in India. However, they have generally struggled away from home, losing 4-1 in England and 2-1 in South Africa in recent times.
Adelaide Oval Stats
Australia is 5-0 at the Adelaide Oval in Test Cricket. They last tasted defeat in 2010 as England won by an innings and 71 runs.
India has lost 2 in a row at the venue and recorded a draw in 2008. Their last victory came in 2003 by 4 wickets.
Australia's Lineup
Obviously with Smith and Warner on the sidelines, the Australian batting lineup is missing a gaping hole in the top order. However, one positive is the opportunities it will provide. At the top, Usman Khawaja will likely open with either Aaron Finch or Marcus Harris. I'm siding with Finch because of his experience and the leadership he provides. The middle order is fairly strong with Shaun Marsh and Travis Head likely to be selected. Mitch Marsh is the all-rounder in the squad and he'll look to build on his test form of last summer. Peter Handscomb has been named ahead of Mitch Marsh. Tim Paine captains the side and should provide valuable runs at number 7.
The bowling lineup is a massive strength of this team with an unchanged and settled lineup. The pace attack of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood should trouble the Indian batting lineup throughout the series with pace and short pitched-bowling a feature. Nathan Lyon has taken 17 wickets in 4 tests against India at this venue in his career, which also includes two 5fas. He'll likely be dangerous in this one.
India's Lineup
No question, India's hopes start and end with the skipper - Virat Kohli. His record at the Adelaide Oval in Test matches is incredible with 3 hundreds from 4 innings. At number 3, Cheteshwar Pujara is as solid as a rock as well. Murali Vijay has a 60.25 batting average in Australia and also scored two half-centuries in his last game at the venue. The question mark is probably on the number 5 and 6 position where Rahane/Sharma will need to setup if India loses early wickets.
In the bowling department, Ishant Sharma is the veteran of the squad and will lead the pace attack. India have a few dangerous bowling options that should worry Australia, especially spin. Ravi Ashwin is one of the best spinners in the world and Ravi Jadeja provides him with solid backup. They should enjoy the usually friendly spin conditions at the Adelaide Oval.
Top Australia Batsman (1st Innings)
The favourite in this market is Usman Khawaja and it's fairly hard to argue. He scored 85 and 141 against Pakistan in October before he hurt himself in the 2nd test. He returned to action last week in first class Cricket and found a bit of form with QLD. In Adelaide, he's averaging 54.50 runs and scored 145 against South Africa a few years ago. Shaun Marsh scored 126 against England at this venue last year but I think India's bowling lineup is a worry, especially Ashwin and Jadeja. He scored just 14 total runs in 4 innings over in Pakistan and that's fairly concerning. Aaron Finch and Travis Head are still inexperienced at test level and that mean's I suggest betting on Khawaja as the safest option.
Top India Batsman (1st Innings)
As mentioned above, Kohli's record at this venue is hard to bet against. His last test match in Adelaide saw him score centuries in both innings (115 and 141). There's also the fact that Kohli failed against Australia in home conditions in 2017. During the 3 test series, he scored just 46 runs from 6 innings. So that should motivate him to start this series with a big score. Others to consider are Murali Vijay for a bit of value as he enjoys batting at this venue. Pujara is only averaging 33.50 in Australia from 3 matches.
Best Bet
The head to head odds are saying this test match is really up for grabs. Australia are just favourites at $2.25. But without Smith and Warner, their batting lineup is much weaker. Although, it could be balanced by factoring in India's poor Test Cricket record both in Australia and Overseas. So I think Virat Kohli to score a 50 in the first innings is very good value at $1.90. He knows Australia are vulnerable at the moment and I can see him leading by the front to start this test series.
Best Bet: India To Score a 50 (1st Innings) Virat Kohli ($1.90)
Latest Odds
$2.20
DRAW $5
$2.37
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