Australia take on India in the fifth and final T20I of the series being played between the two teams at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday, November 8. The series is now precariously led by India 2-1 after their epic 48-run victory in the fourth match. Australia had won the second T20I while India pocketed the third. The first match of the series had to be abandoned due to rain. India have a strong upper hand given that they edged their opponents out comfortably in the fourth match of the series.
In that match, India showed that with a little application, they can topple Australia’s supremacy on their own soil. Strangely enough, the Aussies lost their last four wickets for just three runs in that game, with off-spinner Washington Sundar leading the way with three scalps. Here, Australia must focus on building partnerships and not getting carried away by the idea of going for big hits as much as possible. The Kangaroos need some players who can also rotate the strike.
As for the visitors, they are in a good place, with all three departments clicking well. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma in the batting department, together with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, have performed well to give them a head start. However, in their bowling department, it is their spinners who have controlled the narrative on pitches that may seem more supportive for seam bowlers at the outset. All India need to do is stick to their game plans in the fifth match.
Predicted Teams
AUS: Mitchell Marsh (c), Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, 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
Matthew Short (AUS): Opener Matthew Short’s innings was cut short after he got struck plumb in front of the stumps by Axar Patel for 25 in the fourth match. Had he gotten going, things would have seemed very difficult for the Indians. Short has the tendency to hit even hard-length deliveries out of the park, and this is something the Indians need to guard themselves against. Short picks the length of each delivery quickly and jumps onto the front foot to take courses of action quickly.
Axar Patel (IND): While Axar Patel is known predominantly for his bowling options, he is someone who can also hit the ball a long way coming out to bat lower down the order. The southpaw is renowned for having a good reach. He can comfortably convert good length deliveries into sixes that go into the second or third tier of stadiums. With the ball, Patel is accurate with his lines and lengths and rarely gives away any room. He scored an unbeaten 21 and picked up two wickets in the fourth match.
Match Prediction
India are the favourites after their epic comeback win in the fourth match. Yet, the visitors have started believing in their ability to turn things around. Australia will have to look deep within themselves to prevent this from happening. The hosts have an array of sloggers in their middle and lower order. But they need to be told to have a clear plan of rotating the strike as well. On pitches where the ball does not come on well to the bat, it is the conversion of singles into doubles that makes all the difference. Australia must make these changes immediately.
