Australia vs India, Australia vs India 2020, Today Match Prediction 17 Dec 2020

aus vs ind Match Prediction & Analysis

It would be the start of yet another intense campaign for supremacy in Test cricket as Australia take on India in the 1st Test match. Australia is currently ranked at the top in ICC Test Rankings and India is on the third place.  The winner of this Test series would be on the top of the ICC World Test Championship points table as it is neck and neck between the two sides at the moment. Given their fierce rivalry none of the sides would be looking to let the other take away the honours. 

The last time Indians toured Australia they won the Test series 2-1 which could have easily been 3-1 had weather not played spoilsport and the visitors took early lead at Adelaide Oval. They would be eying a similar show at this venue where they have done in the past. But the setting has changed completely from back then as the hosts are back in full strength and this will be the first Pink Ball test match for the Indians away from home. They haven’t played in this format for long and this would add to the pressure. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Australia Preview

Tim Paine would look to erase the memories of India’s last tour to Australia when his side had lost the Test series and it all started with a loss in Adelaide. Now that his side is back in full strength the Australian skipper would be looking to set things straight in the first game itself. Paine would know that Indians are likely to be rusty not having played in this format for almost a year and would look to exploit this weakness. 

David Warner has been ruled out of the game and Will Pucovski is all set to debut here opening the batting with Joe Burns. They will need to take on India’s pace attack that had troubled the side during the last tour. The middle order is formidable with Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the side. With Travis Head, Paine and Marcus Harris down the order the side has good depth in its batting. 

Mitchell Starc would look to do well here after the poor show against the Indians last season. Along with Pat Cummins he forms a strong new ball pair for the side. Josh Hazlewood has been growing with confidence and he would be raring to have a go at Virat and his men. With the experience of Nathan Lyon to fall back upon they have a good bowling unit going into this contest. 

Australia Predicted Playing XI:

Tim Paine (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Joe Burns, Will Pucovski, Travis Head, Marcus Harris, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood

Australia Actual Playing XI:

Tim Paine, Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Joe Burns, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, TM Head, Josh Hazlewood

India Preview

As much as Virat Kohli draws confidence from their successful campaign on the last tour he would be aware of Australia’s batting strength. His side hasn’t played a Test Match in close to 9 months and this can be sort of a mental obstacle for the side. Kohli would look forward to repeating the show last time they were at Adelaide for a Test Match and set the tone for rest of the season. 

Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw would need to provide a good start here and this would be a big test for Shaw who comes here after a long gap. The Aussie pace trio would be tough customers to deal with for the side. The middle order is rock solid with Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane and there would be lot of hopes on these players. KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin add depth to this batting line-up. 

Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav will need to strike early and both these bowlers would be looking to make good use of the bounce and pace on the surface. Mohammad Shami would look to get over the tag of being a 2nd innings bowler. Ashwin and Jadeja are known for bowling well in tandem and they would look forward to making the best out of the conditions in this game.   

India Predicted Playing XI:

Virat Kohli (c) , Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja

India Actual Playing XI:

Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, WP Saha, Virat Kohli, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The skies over Adelaide would be slightly overcast in the first two games of the game starting December 17 and the weather would be clear for the remaining two days. It would be a hard surface to being with and the pitch would start to crumble as the game progresses. The ball would come on two the bat nicely and the pitch is expected to offer sharp turn as the game progresses.

Venue Details

Adelaide Oval is a great venue for Test Cricket as the ball comes on to the batsmen allowing them to play their strokes. Fast bowlers get decent movement in the morning and also when the ball gets old. The track here offers good assistance to the spinners from Day 3 onward making it tough for the batsmen.

Toss: To Bowl

The last six games at this venue has seen the side batting first go on to win the game. The track is best for batting in the first two days of the game and batting in the fourth innings is a challenge. Thus the two skippers would have little doubt in their mind to opt for batting first after winning the toss.