Australia and India meet in the fourth of the five-match T20I series between the two teams at the Bill Pippen Oval on the Gold Coast on Thursday, November 6. The series is currently tied at 1-1. India won the third match by five wickets thanks to Washington Sundar's unbeaten 49. The first game of the series had to be abandoned due to rain, while Australia won the second. The series will now have to be decided in the next two games, and has the possibility of all three results: an Australia win, an India win, or a draw.
Australia have been strategic throughout this series, as well as in the ODIs that preceded it. Captain Mitchell Marsh has taken on board all recommendations from his players and given them the freedom to play as they like. With his bowlers, he has been sharp and astute tactically and given them field settings which has allowed them to deliver their most threatening deliveries. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, have played in a similarly cavalier fashion, although their batting unit has often upstaged their bowling in terms of fame earned. This has also added more pressure and responsibility on their batters.
In the fielding department, both teams have done well apart from a few glitches here and there. India have played with three spinners: Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar, and all of them have provided their skipper with a lot of quality. India, despite Australia being known for its seamer-friendly pitches, have not shied away from using their spinners. They have been blessed with variety since they have a mystery-spinner (Chakaravarthy), off-spinner (Sundar), and left-arm spinner (Patel) in their XI, and a chinaman (Kuldeep Yadav) waiting on the wings. Australia, by and large, have taken the assistance of their seam bowling options more.
Predicted Teams
AUS: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Short, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann.
IND: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Key Players
Nathan Ellis (AUS): Seamer Nathan Ellis surprises opposition batters with his quick, zippy action, but the real value he provides is with his accurate lines and lengths. Ellis is known for being able to hit the deck hard, but he is also an expert at bowling yorkers. What's more, he has worked a lot on his change of pace over the last few years, and has, by now, become a major threat in the slog overs thanks to the slower deliveries and cutters in his armoury. Ellis does not bowl much in the slot and, therefore, is quite hard to get under and hit out of the park.
Abhishek Sharma (IND): Opener Abhishek Sharma is the biggest X-factor for India. The Punjab batter is renowned for going hard in the first six overs and tearing into bowlers if they err in their lines and lengths even a little. Although it may seem as if everything Sharma does comes out of a fantasy handbook, it is not necessarily so. There is some method to his madness: Sharma does not use his feet much and chooses to go beside the ball rather than towards it. This, quite naturally, gives him the width and room to free his arms instead of playing traditional shots such as the drive or defence.
Match Prediction
India have an advantage over their opponents since they won the third T20I and seem to have come into some form. Australia lost their way in the early overs of the third match and will have to fight hard in this one. The Aussies have faltered against India, especially against spin. With the pitch at the Bill Pippen Oval being an untested one, things can get even more dramatic. True, Australia have a number of hard-hitters in their XI. Yet, India have players who have the right mindset to go hard even during the so-called 'slow middle overs'. This gives India an upper hand.