History
India and Australia have historically been two of the most dominant national sides to play the sport. They have squared of a total of 140 times in One Day Internationals over the years, the maximum number of matches India has played against any opponent apart from Sri Lanka.
Australia has won 78 of those matches, while India has won only 52, with 10 of them being declared as a no result. 51 of those 140 ODI’s were played in Australia, and India could win only 13 of them, while Australia has won 36 of them, 2 being declared as no result.
Team News
The hosts have picked up a formidable line-up for this series, with the perfect mix of experience and youth. Aaron Finch and David Warner would be looking to continue their dominant partnership up top, with Steve Smith and Labuschagne solidifying the middle order.
They have some brilliant all-rounders in Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Agar as well. The bowling is spearheaded by Mitchell Starc again, with able spin-support from leggie Adam Zampa. All in all, Australia have a pretty much full-strength squad to choose from, captained by Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins is the vice-captain.
The Indian ODI squad selection for this series raised a few eyebrows, with Rohit Sharma the biggest name missing from the list, despite a heroic performance in the IPL final a few days ago.
The most surprising but well-deserved inclusion was that of Shubhman Gill, who had a good season with KKR and would be looking to establish his place as an opener in the absence of Rohit Sharma. The ideal opening pair would be Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, the top 2 scorers of the 2020 IPL. At number 3 we’ll see captain Virat Kohli, while there could be a healthy battle for the number 4 spot, with Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and Sanju Samson all vying for that spot.
The lower order begins with all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, both of whom can be explosive with the bat and handy with the ball as well. The bowling line-up is spearheaded by the mercurial Jasprit Bumrah, ably supported by Shami and the spin wizard Yuzvendra Chahal.
Betting Preview, Picks And Predictions
To Win The Match
Australia are the clear favourites to win the first match of this series on home turf with odds of 1.61 as per LeoVegas, which is a bit surprising considering India are ranked above them at 2nd place in the ICC ODI rankings. The odds might have something to do with India’s comparatively poor record on Australian soil, winning just about 25% of the matches they have played here. India are placed at 2.20 to win this match.
Top Team Batsman
Virat Kohli is, as usual, the favourite to be India’s top batsman in this match with odds of 2.87. He is widely regarded as the best batsman in the world, and the Indian skipper looks ready to take on one of his biggest challenges yet. Opener Shikhar Dhawan is the 2nd favourite at 4.33, based on his immense success in the recently concluded IPL.
Opener David Warner is the usual favourite from Australia to be the top scorer as he is now back in form, with odds of 3.50. Captain Aaron Finch is 3.75 to finish as the top scorer, while the ever dependable Steve Smith is also placed at 3.75 to be the best batsman.
Highest Opening Partnership
Australia are the slight favourites to have the highest opening partnership in this match at 1.80. Warner and Finch have been opening together for several years now, and know each other’s game inside out and are more likely to win this bet as India do not have a confirmed opening pair as of now. Shikhar Dhawan will undoubtedly be opening the innings, but his partner is yet to be confirmed. It could be either Mayank Agarwal or KL Rahul, both of whom had a great IPL season, and the uncertainty means India are 1.90 to win this bet.
Top Team Bowler
Australian pace duo Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins lead the odds when it comes to being their best bowler. Starc is placed at 3.25 while Cummins is at 3.75. Leg spinner Adam Zampa is also known to break partnerships and take quick wickets, and he is at 4.00 to win this bet.
Jasprit Bumrah is unsurprisingly the favourite to be India’s top bowler with his lethal yorkers and ability to take wickets either end of the innings. He is placed at 3.25. He is ably supported by the wristy Yuzu Chahal at 3.50, and the experienced Mohammed Shami at 3.75.
Total Runs In The Match
Odds of there being more than 570.5 runs in this match are 1.83, as per LeoVegas. This seems highly achievable as both these teams have some brilliant batsmen and are known for posting huge totals. 570.5 effectively means 286 runs per innings, which is very easily gettable for both these teams. Sydney is not the biggest of grounds and plenty of big hits can be expected here. This is a fairly attractive bet.
Individual Player Betting
- Virat Kohli to score more than 41.5 runs has odds of 1.83, which is a tempting bet as he would like to continue his current form. His average is actually more than that so it can be a pretty attractive bet. Aaron Finch to score more than 34.5 runs also has odds of 1.83. This is also a relatively safe bet as he is an opener and in decent touch.
- Australia to hit the most sixes has odds of 1.90, which is understandable as they have several players who prefer the aerial route more often than not. Players such as Warner, Finch, Stoinis and Maxwell all are capable of the big hits. India to hit the most sixes has odds of 2.25, which is understandable as they don’t have as many big hitters as the home side, with only Pandya, Dhawan and occasionally Jadeja aiming for the big hits generally.
- Bumrah to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 1.80, which is very attractive as he can snap up key wickets in the beginning as well as towards the end of the innings. Starc to take 2 or more wickets also has odds of 1.80, which is attractive as he can also bowl in the powerplay as well as death overs.
Our Top Betting Picks
- India to win the match @2.25
- Australia to hit the most sixes @1.90
- Australia to have the Highest Opening Partnership @1.80
- Bumrah to be India’s top bowler @3.25
