India vs. Australia 4th Test – top run scorer & wicket-taker tips

Saturday, March 25, 2016, 3pm AEDT, HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, India, watch on Fox Sports.

Third Test: India (9(dec)/603) drew with Australia (451 and 6/204)

Second Test: India (189 and 274) defeated Australia (276 and 112) by 75 runs

First Test: India (105 and 107) lost to Australia (260 and 285) by 333 runs

Series tied at 1-1

IT all comes down to this.

There is nothing more to fight for once the fourth Test between bitter rivals Australia and India is fought and a result is reached.

So both teams will be leaving it all out on the park in their battle for the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

All the pressure is on the favoured Indians, who must win the game to claim the trophy, given Australia is the current holder.

They are the favourites, but the Aussies only have to draw the match and they will retain the trophy.

After winning the first Test, losing the second and then fighting out a draw in the third, this series is on a knife’s edge in the fourth and final battle.

The Aussies had to dig deep to hold off the charging Indians in the third Test.

After posting 451 in the first innings, thanks to a record breaking unbeaten 178 to captain Steve Smith and a maiden ton to Glenn Maxwell (104) (Ravindra Jadeja 5/124), the Aussie bowlers struggled to hang with the Indian batsmen, who posted 9(dec)/603 on the back of a double ton to Cheteshwar Pujara and a century to Wriddiham Saha.

Seamer Pat Cummins impressed with 4/106 in his return to international cricket from a long injury layoff and Steve O’Keefe bowled 77 overs for 3/199.

Needing to face 100 overs to stave off defeat, half centuries to Peter Handscomb (72) and Shaun Marsh (52) the Aussies fought tooth and nail to close on 6/204.

Only one Australian team has won a series in India since Bill Lawry’s crew won in 1969 and that was 13 years ago and featured some of the greatest players ever to step onto a cricket ground.

Make no mistake, this is the biggest challenge in cricket – beating India in India.

Are the Aussies up to it?

Top run scorer predictions

Australia

David Warner (+325 with CrownBet.com.au)

It’s time for Australia’s gun opener to fire up. Warner reckons he is close. He’s been dismissed a couple of times in really poor fashion, but just needs a little luck. Has attacked the Indian bowling from the get go and helped Australia get off to good starts, but just has not been able to go on with it. We reckon he will in this match. Imagine if he came out and whacked one of those match defining run a ball tons in the first session?

India

Virat Kohli ($3.25 with CrownBet.com.au)

Speaking of blokes who might be due, If we are backing in Warner to turn things around, then we have to give the ‘Rat a chance. Yep, we hate him as much as the next Aussie does, but that doesn’t mean this bloke is, on the whole, a class act with the willow in hand. He has not been able to hit the ball off the square in this series, but star batsmen are only one innings away from a massive one, and a big score for the captain would be the perfect middle finger for the Aussies. We hope he goes cheap, but he’s every chance and if he top scores, a little cash your way would soften the blow.

Top wicket taker predictions

Australia

Steve O’Keefe ($3.75 with CrownBet.com.au)

The SOK bowled a ridiculous 77 overs own the third Test and, with the revolving door of Aussie bowlers causing damage, he is nicely priced at $3.75. Seam strike bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are the favourites in this market, but there is a high chance this is going to be a very spin friendly deck, because the Indians feel that is the best way to beat the Aussies. If there is spin and bounce, we reckon the SOK will be entrusted with the ball, especially given he bowled nearly double the number of overs as his spin mate Nathan Lyon, who is struggling with a gammy finger. He took 12 wickets in Pune – six in each innings – and we’re backing him to hopefully repeat the dose and help bowl Australia to victory.

Ravichandran Jadeja (+150 with CrownBet.com.au)

There are only two blokes in this market, the two spinners who will probably take the new rock, Jadeja and his mate Ravichandran Ashwin ($2.35 favourite). Toss a coin, but both of these men will bowl a mountain of overs and both will probably take a mountain of wickets. We’ve gone with Jadeja because he provides a little more bang for your buck at $2.50. Jadeja has a ridiculous 27 wickets in just four Tests this year, at an average of 19.66. He has more wickets than any other player in cricket in 2017. Second place? Ashwin, with 23.

Match predictions

Match result: Australia to win ($3.75 with CrownBet.com.au)

Highest opening partnership: Australia (+100 with CrownBet.com.au)

Why not? In all honesty, the smart money is probably with India at $1.80. They are probably nice odds for a side playing on its own deck, which has been an absolute grave yard for visiting teams. But that would be under selling just how resilient this Australian side is. Led by Smith and with a batting order possessing plenty of intestinal fortitude. And the bowling attack lost nothing when Mitchell Starc went down, with Pat Cummins making a triumphant return to the international fold. We’ve picked Warner to score the most runs for the Aussies and Renshaw is as unflappable as a frozen duck. So that’s why we are backing in the two boys to take the honours at the top of the order and have a higher opening partnership than their Indian counterparts – it’s hard to resist that even money. Call us a little patriotic, but history beckons for the Aussies and we want to be part of it.