Cricket fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. By the end of the year, there is going to be one more round of Test cricket. Who’s playing, we hear you ask? Well, the usual suspects and old rivals, India and Australia. Cricket fans will be watching two of the best teams on the planet go at it with plenty of action between now and early January. The 5-match Test series between the visiting Men in Blue and the home Baggy Greens always brings out the best the sport has to offer. As the first Test draws to a close today, it is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory. If you love the sport, you know very well how important these test series are. They happen quite often and remind everyone why the old fashioned traditional format is still viable. With T20 getting bigger and bigger, the old matches are less popular today.
However, when the Aussies host the Indians, it’s clear why he needs to stay relevant and keep going. One of the biggest rivalries in sports has a storied history that stretches back decades. From December 14 to December 18, Australia are set to host one more Test at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane in what will be the third of 5 scheduled dates. In this guide, we take a look at this upcoming match and try to predict the winners. This will be especially important for those who like to watch the sport and also cricket betting while doing so. Cricket is finally a huge betting sport and these Tests are a great opportunity to bet on one of the best matches available.
Test 1 done in Perth: Who won?
Played between November 22nd and 25th at Optus Stadium in Perth, the first Test was finally over after a very strong display from the away side. India took matters into their own hands from the start and never looked back. They won by 295 runs on Day 4, Session 3, and now lead 1-0 in the 5-Test series. The final score was IND 150 487/6d against AUS 104 238. The player of the game? None other than Jasprit Bumrah of course, with 5/30 & 8 & 3/42. In terms of the actual game, the match can be described as Australia being crushed by India.
In the 1st innings, India went for 150. Nitish Kumar Reddy was 41 (59) and Rishabh Pant was 37 (78). For Australia, Josh Hazlewood was 4/29 (13) and Mitchel Marsh was 2/12 (5). In Australia’s 1st innings they were 104, Mitchel Starc went for 26 (112) and Alex Carey was on 21 (31). For India, it was Jasprit Bumrah with 5/30 (18) and Harshit Rana with 3/48 (15.2). The 2nd innings was another big one for India as they were 487/6d. Yashavsi Jaiswal made 161 (297) and Virat Kohli scored 100 (143). For the Aussies, Nathan Lyon was 2.96 (39) and Josh Hazlewood was 1/28 (21). For Australia’s 2nd innings of 238, Travis Head scored 89 (101) and Mitchel Marsh was 47 (67). Jasprit Bumrah took 3/42 (12) and Mohammed Siraj scored 3/51 (14).
In terms of the biggest stories in the game, Indian national cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir is set to return home due to personal reasons. He will fly back before the start of the second Test and leave his side in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy hunt for the 2024/25 season. However, he will return before the start of the IND vs AUS 2nd test in Adelaide on December 6. “Gambir has informed us that he will travel back home and join the team before the start of the second Test. He has cited personal reasons and the BCCI has accepted his request,” the official report said. Support staff members Ryan ten Doeschate, Abhiskeh Nayar, Morne Morkel and T Dilip will take over in the interim.
Test 3 at The Gabba in Brisbane: Odds, Predictions and Forecasts
With the first test finally over, the focus shifts to the upcoming second test which will take place between December 6 and 10 at the Adelaide Oval. A lot is at stake for this second encounter now that India won the first match in such a glorious fashion. They are the best team right now and that is very clear. Of course, the sportsbooks know this and agree by giving them better odds and odds for both the second series, the third series, and the rest of the schedule. Moreover, they are also predicted to win the upcoming World Cup events due to their amazing record and form. Recent history against Australia is also on their side, which we will cover in more detail in the coming sections.
Let’s not focus on the most important part of this entire article, the third overall Test series to be played at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland. As we already mentioned, this AUS vs IND test series has everything to be an instant classic. It doesn’t take much for these two teams to put on great games and it will be more of the same when the match can decide who goes through to the World Test Championship with the final match in England in the summer. The top teams qualify for the final and Indian and Australian teams have a chance to do so, India is closer now after taking the lead.
When it comes to their most recent duels, it hasn’t been so favorable for the hosts as they haven’t been able to beat India away from home nearly as often as they would like. Their last home win came a decade ago during the 2014/15 season. This is definitely not something a team wants in any situation where there are rivalries and everyone is always keeping score. With veterans like Steve Smith and Virat Kohli in the team ranks, great performances should be guaranteed but there can only be one winner. Both have a lot to prove and want to win, but India are simply the better team right now. Their talent includes Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma who are few, more than Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins and Travis Head can handle in a 5 test series.
The total predictions for upcoming test matches show that India is the clear favorite with their odds of 1.83 right now. Australia’s odds have fallen since the loss in Perth and their odds are now slightly worse than they were at 2.8. Although it doesn’t happen that often, the odds of the series being a draw is 9. A popular bet that fans love when tests are played involves predicting the correct score, i.e. the final win and loss total for both teams. For example, a 3 – 2 win for India is the safest bet right now at 5.5 odds. The same score but in Australia’s favor has the odds at 6. India winning the series 4 – 1 currently has odds of 8, while a 2 – 2 draw is currently at 9.
Play of the series stakes are also very high and the top players are all Indians. Jasprit Bumrah leads the way with a performance of 7 followed by Virat Kohli and Yashavi Jaiswal with 7.5 each. Australia’s best bowlers Travis Head and Steven Smith are 4th and 5th with odds of 11 each. Yashavi Jaiswal leads the performance of the top Indian batsmen at 2.75 while for the Australians it is Travis Head at 3.75. Jasprit Bumrah (2.63) and Josh Hazlewood (5.5) are the leading bowlers for their respective teams. All of these bets are fun, but one thing must be remembered. Australia will have added motivation, especially if India take a 2 – 0 lead going into Test 3 in Brisbane.
About The Gabba Venue in Brisbane, Australia
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known and more famously known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in the city of Brisbane. The city is the capital of Queensland, Australia, and therefore a major hub in many social, business and entertainment industries. The interesting nickname comes from the neighborhood in which the stadium is located, Woolloongabba. Apart from cricket matches, the stadium also hosts athletics, Australian rules football, rugby, football (soccer), baseball and even horse and greyhound racing. Of course it was also home to great concerts and other art events.
The stadium was founded in 1895 and its capacity is 37,000. In addition to many national matches where the home team plays, the Gamba is also home to a few domestic teams, notably the Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat (Big Bash League) and Brisbane Lions (Australian Football League). The first Test series was played between Australia and South Africa from 27 November to 3 December 1931. The most recent was from 25 to 28 January 2024 when Australia hosted the West Indies.
Head-to-Head Statistics and Records
Despite the fact that India are currently the favorites across the board, the overall history between the two teams is not on their side. Over the long span of their run in traditional cricket series, the Australians have been more successful so far. The two teams have played a total of 107 test matches in their long history of rivalry. Of these, India won 32, Australia won 45, and there were 29 draws and 1 draw. India have won 23 times as hosts and Australia 30 times.
Their last match came last year on June 7, 2023 when Australia won by 209 runs and the score was 469, 270/8 for them and 296, 234 for India. Before that, there had been a drawn match on 9 March 2023, a week after the 9-wicket win by the Australians on 1 March. To go back a little further, India won three consecutive meetings on January 15, February 9 and February 17 in 2023. This only shows how frequent the matches between these two teams are and what they mean to this amazing sport.
Remaining tryouts: One month of action down
When the almost over 22 November to 26 November Test 1 is over and the upcoming Tests 2 and 3 6 – 10 and 14 – 18 December are over, there will be two more meetings between the two legendary international clubs. As you know, they will be seeing a lot of each other for the next month and a half and they probably don’t mind that. It’s the absolute best way for them to get better since they’re playing their biggest rivals.
The 4th test comes only eight days after the previous one was completed. It is scheduled to take place between December 26 and 30 and will be played at the MCG in Melbourne. That’s just under a week later, starting right on Boxing Day, December 26, and running until the second-to-last day of 2024. This time of year is ideal for sports fans because of the many big competitions in different sports. It will be a great way for fans of the sport to end an already great and productive year of cricket in grand fashion.
