Australia v India ODI Game 7 Betting Preview
Australia v India: ODI Game 7, Sunday 19/2 – 1.20pm (Local Time) at Gabba
AUSTRALIA’S TRI-SERIES CAMPAIGN:
Game 1 – defeated India by 65 runs (D/L method) at MCG (5/2)
Game 3 – defeated Sri Lanka by five runs at WACA (10/2)
Game 4 – lost to India by four wickets (with two balls remaining) at Adelaide Oval (12/2)
Game 6 – lost to Sri Lanka by eight wickets (with 101 balls remaining) under D/L method at SCG (17/2)
Game 7 – v India at Gabba (19/2)
Game 9 – v Sri Lanka at Blundstone Arena, Hobart (24/2)
Game 10 – v India at SCG (26/2)
Game 12 – v Sri Lanka at MCG (2/3)
INDIA’S TRI-SERIES CAMPAIGN:
Game 1 – lost to Australia by 65 runs (D/L method) at MCG (5/2)
Game 2 – defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets (with 20 balls remaining) at WACA (8/2)
Game 4 – defeated Australia by four wickets (with two balls remaining) at Adelaide Oval (12/2)
Game 5 – tied with Sri Lanka at Adelaide Oval (14/2)
Game 7 – v Australia at Gabba (19/2)
Game 8 – v Sri Lanka at Gabba (21/2)
Game 10 – v Australia at SCG (26/2)
Game 11 – v Sri Lanka at Blundstone Arena, Hobart (28/2)
KEY PLAYERS:
After a magical and memorable Test series, Ricky Ponting is once again in the firing line after a poor start to his tri-series campaign. The 37-year-old amassed a double-century, a century and three half-centuries during his four Tests against India, but four consecutive single-digit scores in his past four ODI innings has put him under enormous pressure. Ponting must also shoulder the captaincy burden as regular skipper Michael Clarke recovers from a hamstring strain. Despite his poor run, the right-handed batsman believes he is still an important cog in the Australian unit, especially as one of the more senior players in a transitional squad. If Ponting can scratch his way through the first 20 runs of his innings on Sunday, watch out – because he’s due for a big one.
After Gautam Gambhir’s first few innings in the Test series, cricket pundits thought he was going to severely struggle for the remainder of the Australian summer. Bowlers were consistently finding the outside edge of his bat early on in his innings, so the wicketkeeper and slip fielders would have a field day. But Gambhir’s form in the shorter forms of the game in February have been mightily impressive, as it seems he has finally adjusted to the pace and bounce of the Australian pitches. The 30-year-old made a classy 56 not out in India’s T20 victory over Australia in Melbourne, but his past two ODI innings have really turned a few heads. Gambhir scored 92 against Australia last Sunday and 91 against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. They were polished performances as he took charge of both innings with assurance. Gambhir will look to continue that form and play a huge role for the Indians once again on Sunday.
PITCH AND CONDITIONS:
The Gabba wicket is considered the best in Australia because there is always something in it for both batsmen and bowlers. Swing bowlers love flying up to Brisbane because they know there will always be some extra grass and moisture on top of the surface, meaning the new ball will move around a fair bit in the opening few overs. However batsmen know they will get full value for their shots once they see the new ball out and adjust to the movement. A sunny and humid day with a top of 30 degrees is expected in Brisbane on Sunday, so we should get a full 100-over match in.
TEAMS:
Skipper Clarke has not yet fully recovered from his hamstring strain, meaning Ponting will again captain the side. Peter Forrest should retain his spot, however Tasmanian captain George Bailey has been flown up to Brisbane if the selectors choose to go with him. Brett Lee was rushed back into the side on Friday night and didn’t seem quite right as he took 1-42 from his seven overs. Ben Hilfenhaus will be the logical replacement for Lee if he is not right to go. Victorian left-arm spinner Jon Holland has also been flown up to Brisbane as standby for Xavier Doherty, after he struggled with back spasms leading into the match against India on Friday night. Here is how the Australians are likely to line-up:
- David Warner
- Matthew Wade (WK)
- Ricky Ponting (C)
- Peter Forrest/George Bailey
- Michael Hussey
- David Hussey
- Dan Christian
- Clint McKay
- Brett Lee/Ben Hilfenhaus
- Mitchell Starc
- Xavier Doherty/Jon Holland
The Indian selectors made it clear from the start of the tri-series that they were going to rotate their three opening batsmen throughout February. But after Gambhir’s awesome form in the past two games, it’s hard to see him being replaced. However Sachin Tendulkar’s form of later has been well below his lofty expectations, so if Virender Sehwag has recovered from his recent injury, expect him to come back in for Tendulkar. Ravindra Jadeja’s form with both bat and ball has been poor so far this series, so leg-spinner Rahul Sharma could come back into the side for him. And if veteran paceman Zaheer Khan is right to play, expect him to replace erratic young bowler Umesh Yadav, who has struggled for accuracy since coming into the side. Here is how the Indians are likely to line-up:
- Gautam Gambhir
- Sachin Tendulkar/Virender Sehwag
- Virat Kohli
- Rohit Sharma
- Suresh Raina
- MS Dhoni (C/WK)
- Ravindra Jadeja/Rahul Sharma
- Ravichandaran Ashwin
- Irfan Pathan
- Umesh Yadav/Zaheer Khan
- Ranganath Vinay Kumar
WHO WINS?
This tri-series just got a whole lot more interesting.
No doubt the Australians are struggling for confidence at the moment. Ponting and David Warner, perhaps the two most important batsmen in the team, can’t buy a run, while the bowing line-up looks a little unsettled. The only two players who have shown consistency so far are Clint McKay, who has taken the most wickets for the series with nine, and David Hussey, who has scored the most runs in the series with 218.
On the other hand, India is on a hot streak and in the best form of its tour so far. Besides Gambhir, skipper MS Dhoni has risen to a new level with the bat. He has been named man of the match in India’s past two games after inspirational knocks of 44 not out and 58 not out that led to a victory and a tie. Fast bowler Vinay Kumar has also been in excellent form, taking nine wickets for the series, but conceding an average of close to five runs per over.
India now sits on top of the points table after tying with Sri Lanka on Tuesday night. Australia has lost its past two games to India and Sri Lanka, so it now sits one point behind the Indians in second spot. Sri Lanka’s positive performances in the past week have meant it is now just two points behind the Aussies in third spot. Yep – this competition is going down to the wire.
This game will be decided in the opening few overs of each innings. If the opening bowlers can hit the right line and length and let the pitch do the work, there could be wickets galore. But if the respective sets of opening batsmen can smother the swing and movement off the pitch and see out the opening 15 overs, there could be plenty of runs.
You just get the feeling the Australians are due to bounce back and produce a big score in this game. Expect Warner, Ponting and Matthew Wade to eventually get on top of the Indian bowling and lead their team to victory on a pitch that will suit the Aussies to a tee.
BEST HEAD-TO-HEAD BET:
Australia to win ($1.70)
AUSTRALIA HIGH BAT:
Ricky Ponting ($5.00)
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL MATCH SCORE:
100 runs or more ($2.25)
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