IND vs AUS Match Preview
All indications suggest that the pitch is going to be dry and take sharp turn from day 2 onward. Making runs in the first inning will be crucial. We are going to stick with Australia's two best right-handers (Smith and Labuschagne) for this match while also picking some of India's key in-form batters.
The bulk of the Dream11 points will come from the spinners. Try and pick as many as possible from both teams.
Finally, reverse swing can also play and important role so picking the right fast bowlers could be a useful differentiator.
Weather Report
There is no rain predicted in Nagpur and the sun should be shining throughout. We are not going to have any trouble getting the full quota of overs over the five days.
Pitch Report
The pitch is what everyone is curious about. Reports from the ground and pictures on social media suggest that the pitch is not as brown or cracked as might have been expected.
It will still take turn, possibly from day 2 onward, and will be tough to bat on. Cracks, sharp spin, and inconsistent bounce are all things that the batters are likely to encounter. A score of around 300-350 batting first is going to be quite competitive with batting becoming progressively more difficult.
Notable stats
Steve Smith's Brilliance in India
Overseas batters struggle in India but Steve Smith actually averages more than his career average while playing in India and that is absolutely astonishing. He scored 499 runs in the previous series he played here and is coming to the country in excellent form.
Team News
India seems likely to pick SKY to make his Test debut for this match. Both teams do not have any injuries to worry about but are pretty tight-lipped about their combinations. Expect a few surprises so changes will have to made after the toss.
IND vs AUS Probable 11
IND Playing 11
- Rohit Sharma (C)
- KL Rahul
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Virat Kohli
- Suryakumar Yadav
- KS Bharat (Wk)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Axar Patel
- Mohammad Shami
- Mohammad Siraj
AUS Playing 11
- David Warner
- Usman Khawaja
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith
- Peter Handscomb
- Alex Carey (Wk)
- Pat Cummins (C)
- Ashton Agar
- Nathan Lyon
- Todd Murphy
- Scott Boland
Dream11 Prediction
India has a tendency of starting a bit slow and does lose a lot of its first matches. However, it has only lost two matches at home in the previous decade, and stopping it is not going to be easy. Australia has brought a lineup of left-handers against whom the Indian spinners have had a lot of success. Also, the visitors are missing two of their best fast bowlers. India should win this match.
Top Picks
Spinners - We declined to pick just one name because you have to pick all the spinners that you can. We think picking Nathan Lyon and R Ashwin as your vice-captain and Captain respectively should also be a no-brainer.
SKY - There is something so liberating in the manner of Suryakumar Yadav's batting. He is brilliant against the spin and will have a lot of open spaces to utilize in this match. He could be a massive pick for India and for your Dream11 team.
Pat Cummins - An excellent bowler on any surface, Cummins is also quite deadly with reverse swing. His batting will add another possible points scoring opportunity as well.
IND vs AUS Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: K Srikar-Bharat
Batters: R Sharma, S Smith, S Yadav, M Labuschagne
All-rounders: R Jadeja (C), R Ashwin, A Patel
Bowlers: N Lyon (VC), P Cummins, T Murphy
