Australia vs India, India Tour of Australia, 2018/19, Today Match Prediction 25 Nov 2018

aus vs ind Match Prediction & Analysis

India’s streak of seven consecutive series wins has been halted by Australia and rains. But the visitors are craving for a victory in the series decider to level the series. The rain denied them the chance to level the series at Melbourne where they restricted Australia to 132/7 in 19 overs. Their Captain Virat Kohli would want a repeat of their bowling performance at Melbourne. Shikhar Dhawan was sublime in the first match with 76 runs and his partner Rohit Sharma known for his big scores would want a make a mark on this tour. India’s new No.3 KL Rahul and skipper Kohli would like to make amends for their batting failure in the first T20. Pant, Dinesh Karthik and K Pandya are expected to provide the finishing touches with some aggressive stroke making. They have two potent pace bowlers in form of Bhuvaneshwar and Bumrah and Kohli should be able to complete their quota of full overs which he failed to do in first two T20s. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav is bowling aggressive and beautifully and has been X-factor for India with his wicket taking abilities. India might look to replace Khaleel Ahmed with Wrist spinner Chahal as Khaleel was too expensive in both the T20Is.

Australia team would be looking for a rare series win against a strong Indian team. They have been on the downslide in the shortest form of the game for the last couple of seasons. This series win against the dominant Indian team would serve as a morale boosting win for their team. Their captain Aaron Finch and Opener D Arcy Short are not scoring enough runs and this might be their last chance in this series. Big-hitting Chris Lynn would love to send some balls to the orbit to disrupt the Indian bowling attack. Maxwell and Stoinis are proving their worth as all-rounder’s and would like to continue their good work. On the bowling front they have made a replacement with Starc for injured Stanlake. They have pace bowling options in Jason Behrendorff, T20 specialist Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Marcus Stoinis. Zampa is expected to keep his place after winning Man of the match in the first match for his performance of 4-0-22-2.

AUSTRALIA PREVIEW

Expected Playing XI: Aaron Finch (C), Darcy Short, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carry (Wk), Ben McDermott, Nathan Coulter-Nile/Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Jason Behdermoff

 Mitchell Starc may get a game at the expense of Nathan Coulter-Nile despite his batting heroics in the second T20. No other changes are expected in the playing XI.

Key Players:

Aaron Finch – Aussie Skipper has had a quiet time with the bat for an extended period and would love to make some runs and prove his credentials as an explosive T20 batsmen.

Glenn Maxwell – Maxwell has outstanding with the bat in the first T20 against Indian spinners but was bowled out by Krunal in the second T20. He would want to replicate his performance in the first T20.

Adam Zampa – The lone spinner in the Australian setup, is expected to keep the famed Indian batting line up quiet and stop the flow of runs in the middle overs.

Stats from the recent matches:

Glenn Maxwell – 65 runs at strike rate of 141 (HS - 46 runs)

Adam Zampa – 2 wickets at an economy of 5.5 RPO

INDIA PREVIEW

Expected Playing XI: Virat Kohli (C) , Shikar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Krunal Pandya, Bhuwaneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Y Chahal/Khaleel Ahmed

India might replace Khaleel with Chahal and go in with three spinners in the slow SCG pitch. KL Rahul is expected to continue to bat above Kohli at No.3 position.

Key Players:

Rohit Sharma – Rohit has evolved to be one of the great batsmens in the limited overs and he has the knack of scoring big runs once he gets going. He is the only player to score 4 hundred’s in T20Is.

Dinesh Karthik – Karthik has played some scintillating knocks in T20Is recently. He has been a delight to watch especially during the end of the innings. He would play a crucial role in finishing the innings.

Jasprit Bumrah – Bumrah has been bowling thunderbolts and aussies are struggling to make contact with the ball.  Bumrah is one best death bowlers currently and he can deliver his deadly Yorkers at will. 

Stats from the recent matches:

Shikar Dhawan – 76 runs at strike rate of 181 (HS – 76 runs)

Kuldeep Yadav – 3 wickets at an economy of 5.75 RPO

Weather Conditions

Sydney has been receiving strong winds and storms recently but Sunday’s weather looks clear and dry. And no rain is expected as per weather reports on Sunday. The SCG pitch is slow has no pace in it and is expected to aid the slower bowlers.  Any score in the range of 170-190 is expected to be good score. With dew factor, chasing becomes easier at the SCG.

TOSS : WIN the toss, BOWL First

All the teams are willing to chase in the T20s and thanks to the size of the bats and power and mindset of the batsmen. Any score is chased in the modern era and bowl fist has been the safer option for the captains in the T20s.

Toss: To Bowl