T20 is where it’s at in world cricket at the moment. It’s fast, furious entertainment delivered with a crash, a bang and a wallop!
Crowds pour in to watch the shortest format of the game in big money leagues led by the IPL and the Big Bash. It’s rock and roll in India, where they play to packed stadiums, the all action play stirring the crowd up to fever pitch; and we love it here at SBOBET!
T20 1: Australia vs India is a classic. Two of World Cricket’s ‘Big Three’ (alongside England) are about to start a three match series and there’s plenty of intrigue in the build up. More than 100,000 tickets have been sold for the series already. Cricket Australia expects well over 30,000 fans to flock to the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday for the opener, and there could be 70,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the largest cricket stadium in the world, when the drama moves there on Friday.
Purists of the game insist that Test Cricket remains the pinnacle of the game, but for downright fun it has to be T20.
Talking points
The short game suits the Aussies
This is arguably Australia’s best format at the moment, joint third in the ICC rankings and just a place behind the swashbuckling India, while they have slipped further down the table in the 50 over and five day games.
Glen Maxwell is a key player in this Australia side, and he was the only one to offer up any real resistance in defeat to South Africa last week. The one off T20 was reduced to a ten over slog by rain and, chasing a total of 108, Maxwell offered some hope with an attacking 38 off 23 balls before losing his wicket to Lungi Ngidi.
There was a teasing development in the Australia vs India news press conference today when it was revealed that Cricket Australia is considering reducing the bans on ball tampering cheats David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft. The Green Baggies’ results have taken a hammering since the disgraced trio was banned in March, including a 5-0 ODI defeat to England. Maybe pragmatism has taken a hold on the Australian conscience!
In the meantime Australia will go into the three match T20 series with the same squad as against South Africa, led by big hitting Aaron Finch and with Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis ready to start the fireworks in the middle order batting. Young quicks Jason Behrendorff and Billy Stanlake are likely to lead the attack.
India’s stellar batting line-up
It’s been a mixed sort of year for Indian cricket, a good run in T20 matches, but something of a hiding in the test series in England, going down 4-1 as well as losing the ODI series to the Three Lions. But there is no denying the quality of this India side. Australia’s attack will be seriously tested by a handful of the best batters in the world.
Skipper Virat Kohli who averages over 48 in T20, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Darwan can all dismantle a bowling attack single handed, as Australia has discovered before when they were thumped on home soil in 2016.
And the tourists have a pretty formidable bowling team. The speedy Jasprit Bumrah and Khaleel Ahmed were superb in a recent 3-0 win over West Indies. There’s plenty for Finch to think about.
History
In the last visit to Australia in 2015/16 India ran out 0-3 winners when Kohli and Sharma were in destructive form and it wouldn’t be a shock to see a repeat of that score again this time around.
While they have had trials in the long game, Kohli’s men have been beating all comers in the T20 format in 2018, with series wins over South Africa (2-1), Ireland (2-0), England (2-1) and the West Indies.
Australia’s defeat to South Africa was not the ideal warm up to this test, and they need to make a quick start at the Gabba to stand any chance.
Betting tip
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Australia vs India | India Asian Handicap @1.86 |
| November 21, 15:50 (GMT+8) |
It’s going to be a great battle in Brisbane on Wednesday and the Australia vs India odds seem to point to a close game with Australia well in the running at 2.02.
I just think the timing of Cricket Australia’s announcement that Smith and Warner may be back in the fold sooner than expected, might not be the best vote of confidence in the players currently wearing the proud Green Baggy hat. It may spur them on but I suspect India has too much quality and confidence, unbeaten in 2018 and likely to remain so.
For an alternative, you can back Australia to hit the most sixes at 1.95 or India at 2.05 and that will be a great contest too!
| A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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