Cricket fans rejoice! Yet another round of cricket test series is upon us and the culprits are the age-old rivals, Australia and India. The fans of the game have a lot to be excited about right now as two of the best teams on the planet are going at it with plenty of more action in store over the next month and a half. The 5-game test series between the Men in Blue and the Baggy Greens always brings about the best this interesting sport has to offer and this will be the case again. Already, it is proving to be one for the ages as the first series is on the way.
If you are a cricket enthusiast you know all too well how important these tests are. They come around every once in a while and remind us why the traditional form of the sport is still so important. With T20 slowly taking over, traditional, days-long matches are becoming slightly less popular. But when a matchup of this magnitude comes, it is clear why it needs to stay. This is one of the biggest rivalries in sports with a long and storied history of matchups that stretches back decades. And from December 6 to December 10, Australia is going to host another test at the Adelaide Oval Stadium in what will be the second out of 5 meetings.
In this article, we examine this upcoming matchup and attempt to predict its outcome. This will be particularly important for those among you who not only like to watch the sport but also bet on cricket as they do. Cricket is becoming a huge betting sport and having this chance to wager on it is one of the best ways to see why. AUS vs IND is a game full of potential and there are plenty of ways to make it interesting and make the sport your go-to for betting. What is more, read on to learn more about the head-to-head records as well as some other relevant information for these two teams.
The Current Situation: Test 1 Coming to a Close
At the moment of writing, it is day 4, session 2 of the 1st test between these two teams as AUS is batting. Played at Perth Stadium, it is the first of the five planned meetings for the 5-game test series between them. Day 1 was a balanced affair followed by India dominating during days 2 and 3. Now, it is 150 487/6 for India and 104 227/9 for Australia. The 2nd Innings are taking plays and no team has a big win probability. As of right now, a draw is the most likely outcome at 99.4%. However, India is much closer to an overall win in this game, and the total win of the whole test series.
As for the storylines, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj lead the way against the Aussies and look to help their team get the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. On the other side, Travis Head showed some grit but it is Bumrah and his great form and talent that dismissed him. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli scored amazing centuries and gave India a huge lead before Bumrah left Australia in even more trouble. Jaiswal was at 166 while Johli remained unbeaten on 100 giving India their second innings on 487/6 in 134.3 overs.Â
Bumrah then struck twice and removed Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne causing immense problems for the home team. Pat Cummins lasted a mere eight deliveries and Siraj got him out of it. When day 3 concluded, Australia was 12/3 needing 522 runs to win with seven wickets left. Now, they need 345 runs to win it. The story of the game so far is Birat Kohli scoring his 30th test century, 9th against Australia, and 7th on Australian soil. He has had his number over the years, that much is certain. Only Jack Hobbs of England has more with 9.Â
An interesting moment arose when a speed gun apparently showed Washington Sundar throwing a 140.6 km/h bowl. The fans had a good laugh about it and took to social media immediately to point out the obvious mistake in the broadcast. He is not a fast bowler, otherwise this number would not be that strange. Umran Malik holds the current record for the fastest bowled ball by an Indian player. He clocked 157 km/h during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in 2022. Mayank Yadav’s record is 156.7 km/h which he delivered this season in the IPL, almost tying/breaking this two-year-old record.Â
When it comes to the odds, the draw-no bet at the moment is Australia with 16.50 odds. The double chance for Australia or Draw is 10.00 and the Aussie total for the 2nd innings is 246.5, the odds being 1.85. Overall, they are in an unfavorable position as India looks to take this first game. The 1×2 bet sees Australia’s odds at 20.00 with the draw being 24.00. The dismissal method bet for Mitchell Starc on 2nd innings is fielder Catch with 2.10 odds and bowled with 4.45 odds. For Alex Carey, it is 1.90 and 4.80, respectively.
Test 2 at Adelaide Oval: Odds, Predictions and Forecasts
With the first test coming to a close soon, it is high time we focused on the main part of this article, the upcoming second test. Planned to take place between December 6 and 10 at the Adelaide Oval, a lot is going to be at stake especially if India ends up winning this first match. They are the better team right now and the sportsbooks know it, giving them better chances and odds across the board. They are actually also predicted to win the upcoming World Cups, but more on that later. History is on their side as well, something we will also talk about.
As mentioned, this AUS vs IND test series has everything it needs to be remembered as a classic. It hardly takes much for these two teams to deliver great games, and it will be more of the same now when the match could have implications for the World Test Championship cycle with the final match taking place in England in summer. The top two teams qualify for the final and both the Indian and Australian sides have their chances, albeit to different degrees. India needs a 4-0 win to secure that ticket, while Australia needs to win 5 out of their next 7 games.
However, recent history spells disaster for the home team as they have not managed to win against the frequent visitors. As a matter of fact, their last win on home soil came in the 2014/15 season, a whole decade ago, which is not a stat you want in any situation where rivalries are at stake. With players on both sides being veterans like Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, it should be a lot of marvelous wickets and bowls but also legacy-cementing victories. Both teams have a lot to prove and wish to win, but India is simply ahead right now. Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma… they have a stacked roster that Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins, and Travis Head have a tough time to contain.Â
When the odds for the overall test match cricket picks are concerned, India is the clear-cut favorite with their odds being 1.83 at the moment. Australia does have its chances as theirs are 2.4. If you believe it is going to be a drawn series, the odds for that are 8. A Popular bet that punters like to go with when test series are in question includes predicting the correct score. For example, a 3-2 win for India is the safest bet right now with 4.92 odds. If they do one better and win 4-1, the odds for that are 5.12. A 2-2 draw has 5.51 odds at the moment and an Australia win with a score of 5.61 has odds of 3-2. So across the board, the Aussies are in an unfavorable position which makes sense considering their recent struggles against the team from the subcontinent.
About the Adelaide Oval Venue
Venues matter a lot when talking about predictions and expectations and not just because of the home crowd advantage. Certain places have their charm and history that can impact the game and make it a much bigger affair than it already is. Located in the parklands between the center and the north of the city, the Oval is a sports ground mostly used for cricket and Australian football, but rugby, soccer, and tennis have also been played here. It was opened in 1871 and redeveloped and expanded in 2014. It is the headquarters of the South Australian Cricket Association making it one of the most important grounds for this national sport. Furthermore, it is the home of the Adelaide Strikers of the Big Bash League (BBL), one of the best cricket leagues in the world.
The capacity is 53,000 and the record attendance was achieved in 2017 when 70,000 people came. The first test was played here between Australia and England between 12 and 16 December 1884. Since then, numerous tests and T20 games have taken place, the last being the 17 to 19 January matchup between Australia and the West Indies. The previous time India came to the grounds for a test was when the women’s teams clashed between February 18 and 20, 2006. A lot of history took place at this marvelous cricket stadium and a lot more will be written in the coming weeks.
Head-to-Head Stats
Despite India being the favorite team right now, the overall history between the two teams shows that the Aussies have been more successful so far. The two sides played 107 test matches so far. India won 32, Australia won 45, there were 29 draws and 1 tie. India won 23 times as the home team and Australia 30 times.
Their last came on June 7, 2023, when Australia won by 209 runs and the score was AUS 469, 270/8, IND 296, 234. Before that, it was a drawn match on March 9, 2023, after an Australia 9-wicket win on March 1. To go further back, India won three consecutive meetings on January 15, February 9, and February 17.Â
Other Upcoming Test Meetings: A Long Tour of Down Under
Once the ongoing November 22 to 26 and the upcoming December 6 and 10 tests are over, there are going to be three more meetings between the clubs. They will be seeing a lot of each other in the next 45 or so days, that much is certain, and they probably would not have it any other way. The 3rd test comes only four days after the previous one finishes. It is scheduled for December 14 to 18 and it is going to be played at The Gabba in Brisbane, a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Adelaide.
Then slightly more than two weeks later, the teams will go to the MCG in Melbourne for their 4th test. It is scheduled to start on Boxing Day, December 26, and will last until December 30. This timeframe is great for sports fans because of how many big games across various sports take place. It will be a great way for the fans of cricket to finish what has already been a great and productive year for the sport.
The 5th and final test will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to January 7, 2025, and will help open a new year of cricket with a final series that could decide it all for these teams and give us a finalist for the summer’s big game. For all of these, online sports betting platforms like Stake.com give India better odds to win so make sure to take that into account when forming your upcoming betting tickets.
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