AUS vs IND Match Preview
Bowling will be the core strength for Australia in this match. Skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc haven’t played much in the recent past and will be fully fit as they head to the summit clash. The overcast conditions in England and the good bounce on offer will suit the Australians perfectly as they look to rip through the defenses of a strong Indian batting line-up.
Cameron Green had an excellent outing in the IPL, further cementing his all-round credentials, and will be raring to peddle his skills here. Nathan Lyon, who played an instrumental role in helping Australia secure a win against India in the Indore test will once again play an important role here, especially in the last couple of days as the ball begins to turn.
The batting however isn’t in the best of shapes for the team and will be a cause of concern. David Warner didn’t have the best of times in the IPL and the test format isn’t one of his bigger strengths. The others, including Travis Head, Usman Khwaja, and Alex Carey haven’t had much international exposure since the series in India and can be a bit rusty here.
Steve Smith and Marcus Labuschagne have played plenty of county cricket and will be the key batsmen for Australia in this game.
India has managed to select a well-balanced team for this match. Despite the absence of some of their key players, including Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant, the team appears quite strong, at least on paper. Players like Shubhman Gill, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja have shown excellent form in the recently concluded IPL and will be feeling quite confident as they head into this key encounter.
Ajinkya Rahane makes a return to the test squad after a gap of close to one and a half years and will add strength to the middle order along with Cheteshwar Pujara, who enjoys an excellent record in England. Looking at Ishan Kishan’s exploits in the IPL, we think that he might earn his maiden test call here.
Jadeja, with his all-round abilities, will be a vital cog in the squad. Mohammed Shami will lead the pace attack along with Mohammed Siraj. Umesh Yadav is likely to be the third seamer for the team. It will be interesting to see who the 5th bowler will be as both, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur are in decent form.
Weather Report
The skies are likely to remain overcast with pleasant temperatures in the low 20s.
Pitch Report
The surface at the Kia Oval is hard and offers a good amount of bounce. The batsmen will enjoy playing their shots here during the first couple of days. While there is a good amount of pace on offer for the quicker bowlers, they will need to be quite disciplined with their line and length.
Notable stats
Marnus Labuschagne's Excellent Record
Ever since his international Test debut for Australia, Labuschagne has been a vital performer in the team’s batting line-up. In the last 10 matches, he has scored 991 runs at an average of 70.78.
Team News
Both teams have fully fit squads at their disposal.
AUS vs IND Probable 11
AUS Playing 11
- David Warner
- Usman Khwaja
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith
- Cameron Green
- Travis Head
- Alex Carey (Wk)
- Pat Cummins (C)
- Josh Hazlewood
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
IND Playing 11
- Rohit Sharma (C)
- Shubhman Gill
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Virat Kohli
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ishan Kishan (Wk)
- Shardul Thakur
- Mohammed Siraj
- Mohammed Shami
- Umesh Yadav
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing Australia to win here. The team has arguably one of the best pace attacks in the world that will ask tough questions of the Indian batting line-up. Most of the team is well-rested. On the other hand, despite having a strong batting line-up, we expect India to struggle a bit, especially with the amount of cricket they have played in the last few months.
Top Picks
Virat Kohli: After a prolonged lean patch, Virat Kohli has finally managed to get runs under his belt and will be raring to go here. He enjoys a good record against Australia and has scored 8 centuries and 5 half-centuries in his 42 innings against them.
Mitchell Starc: Starc will be the key bowler for Australia especially in the first innings. He enjoys a good record against India and has picked up 44 wickets in 17 matches against them.
Ravindra Jadeja: Jadeja is a genuine all-rounder who can contribute to all aspects of the game. Being the sole left-arm bowler in the team, he will play an important role here, especially in the last two days.
AUS vs IND Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: A Carey
Batters: V Kohli, S Smith (C), M Labuschagne, S Gill (VC)
All-rounders: R Jadeja, C Green
Bowlers: P Cummins, M Starc, M Shami, N Lyon
