India vs. Australia 1st Test odds, tips & player specials

That is the question on everyone’s lips ahead of the opening exchanges of the 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Young Matt Renshaw impressed during the Australian Test summer, closing out the series against Pakistan with a well-constructed 184 in Sydney.

Yet the Queenslander’s lack of experience in turning subcontinental conditions has led to calls for a more experienced head to partner David Warner.

Shaun Marsh’s record on the low, dusty wickets of Sri Lanka is hard to ignore, as was his unbeaten century in last weekend’s tour game in Mumbai.

Renshaw returned scores of 10 and 11.

Given that Marsh batted at four, there is a real chance he could be chosen ahead of Usman Khawaja.

If that is indeed the case, the selectors must also answer the allrounder question.

Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell are the obvious candidates to line up at number six – a most troublesome position for the Aussies in recent years.

Marsh made 75 and took 1/45 in the tour game, while Maxwell bowled only six overs and was dismissed for one run when promoted to number three in the second innings.

The self-styled ‘Big Show’ has shown a troubling tendency to lose his stumps against straight bowling, especially when attempting to attack spinners.

As the MCA Stadium has never before hosted a Test match, it is difficult to judge whether the pitch conditions will better suit Maxwell’s offspin or Mitch’s seamers.

MS Dhoni criticised the Pune wicket after a T20 loss to Sri Lanka in February 2016, claiming it was “too English”.

Bowling figures from the handful of ODI games played there suggest medium pace might be the weapon of choice.

Even if the visitors get everything right on paper, they may have to play out of their skins just to make a contest.

Since Virat Kohli took charge of the team in 2015, India have not lost at home in 13 Tests.

That run includes 3-0 series wins over South Africa (four Tests) and New Zealand (three Tests), as well as a 4-0 drubbing of England over five Tests.

Against the Brits, India passed 400 in the first innings on every occasion.

They went bigger and better as the series progressed, finishing with 631 in the opening dig at Mumbai and a massive 759 at Chennai.

Both games were won by an innings and change.

Kohli ended the series with two centuries, two half-tons, 655 runs, a top score of 235 and a batting average of 109.2.

The only other players to pass 400 runs on that tour were Joe Root (491 at 49.1) and Cheteshwar Pujara (401 at 50.1).

Yet Kohli might not even be the biggest thorn in Australia’s side.

The Ravi twins, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, bagged a whopping 54 wickets between them when the English came to visit.

Ashwin was far and away the most prolific Test bowler in 2016, claiming 72 wickets at an average of 23.9 and a strike rate of 48.7 – superb returns in anyone’s language.

The lanky offspinner has already landed a psychological blow on the Aussies, with Steven Smith promoting himself to first drop so as to break up the run of left-hand bats at the top of the order.

The Indian selectors have made no changes from the squad that defeated Bangladesh in Hyderabad earlier this month.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami and star bat Rohit Sharma are still out injured, as is back-up spinner Amit Mishra.

Steve Smith betting specials

Top Australian batsman – +275 at Bet365

Smith top bat/Australia win – +1200 at William Hill

Man of the match – +1400 at Sportsbet

Australia will need captain’s knocks aplenty throughout this series, and where better to start?

Smith enjoyed another fruitful summer on home soil and heads to India firmly entrenched as his nation’s best batsman.

One of the many things that separates the New South Welshman from his colleagues is his ability to play spin bowling.

Among the tourists, only Shaun Marsh and the inexperienced Peter Handscomb come close in that regard.

He bagged a century in the tour game and will be keen to make a mark straight away in his new role at number three.

India vs. Australia 1st Test match tips

India to win – -151.52 at CrownBet

Pujara top bat/India win – +500 at William Hill

It would be nice to see Australia start strong and make a real fist of this series from the get-go.

Even if they play well, however, there is no guarantee the tourists will enjoy so much as a sniff of victory.

Much will depend on whether Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe can pose a genuine wicket-taking threat with their finger spin.

Then there is the matter of whether the batsmen can hold their nerve and carve something out against Ashwin and company.

And then there is Kohli.

The sheer weight of money against the Australians might be a bit over the top, but the hosts are favourites for a very good reason.