Australia host India in the fourth T20I of the bilateral series on Thursday, November 6, at the Bill Pippen Oval on the Gold Coast. The five-match series is level at 1-1. Australia won the second game. India returned the favour in the third. The first had to be abandoned midway due to rain. The Aussies came into this series after a 2-1 win in the ODIs. That gave them a lot of confidence. India are no minnows and are a well-tested side in this format.
For both sides, getting off to big starts in the power play has been critical to success. The same will be on display in this match. The hosts rely on mercurial opener Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh. They set up big totals for Australia. India have youngsters Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma doing the same. Whichever team scores more than 60 runs in the first six overs will be in the driver’s seat. That team will not need to worry much about runs later.
In the middle overs, however, India have shown that they can be just as explosive. While the concept of T20 games in the past had the idea of rotating the strike from overs 7 to 16, India have changed the yardstick completely to hit the ball a long way even at this phase. This has allowed them to put up and even chase huge totals, especially on pitches that support and encourage stroke-making. Both teams are flush with seamers, even though India have stuck to playing three spinners: Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
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
Marcus Stoinis (AUS): Middle-order batter Marcus Stoinis, most famously known for hitting the ball a long way, showed his mettle with a well-made 64 in the third T20I. The all-rounder is known to come in during the latter stages of an innings and get going right away. What’s even more interesting is the fact that Stoinis can provide his captain with a couple of overs, or more, of medium pace in the middle stages of an innings. He can hit the deck hard and also roll his fingers over the ball to deliver cutters and slower ones.
Washington Sundar (IND): All-rounder Washington Sundar was the hero for India in the third T20I, remaining unbeaten till the end with a personal score of 49. The southpaw is known to possess the perfect mix between rotating the strike and hitting the ball a long way. With the ball in hand, Sundar can bowl inside the power play even though he is an off-spinner. However, he has enough control over his lines and lengths to make sure that he does not give easy runs away to his opponents. Sundar, who hails from Chennai, is the perfect package for any T20 captain.
Match Prediction
India have momentum on their side, and they will be expected to win this match. The Indians, who are also the defending world champions in T20 cricket, play a lot of matches in this format and seem to have covered all their bases. Their batting has gone to another level altogether, and one expects them to coast to a comfortable victory. The Australians will have to be sharp in their bowling, especially in the middle overs, and not allow their opponents to strike boundaries during that phase of the game. Most importantly, the hosts need to strike early inside the power play and prevent Gill and Sharma from running away with the game.
