T20 odds, tips and value bets – Australia vs. India in Melbourne

DON’T be surprised if you see the Australian men’s cricket team doing a little rain dance before Friday’s clash at the MCG.

A lengthy weather delay in Brisbane saw Wednesday’s Australia vs. India T20 series opener shortened to 17 overs piece – a situation that ultimately worked in the hosts’ favour.

The Aussies posted 4/158 on the back of some heavy middle-order hitting from Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, but India had to chase down 174 thanks to the Duckworth-Lewis Method.

Shikhar Dhawan got the visitors off to a great start, smashing 76 from 42 balls despite a total lack of support from Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli.

A late blitz from Dinesh Karthik took India to the brink of victory, but Stoinis stood up again to defend 13 in the final over.

The big question for Melbourne is whether either side will look to the shuffle up their bowling attacks.

Adam Zampa was the only Aussie bowler to go for less than nine runs per over at the Gabba, with Andrew Tye (1/47 from three overs) the worst culprit.

India’s seamers were tidy, but they may consider other spin options after Krunal Pandya conceded a whopping 55 runs from his four wicketless overs.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (C), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

India squad: Virat Kohli (C), Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav.

Best bets for Marcus Stoinis

Man of the match	+1200	+1000	+900
Top Australia batsman	+700	+600	+600
Top Australia bowler	+500	–	+275
To score 50	–	+500	–

Q: What is the common denominator in Australia’s two wins this summer?

A: This guy.

Stoinis is one of those genuine allrounders who can win a match with bat, ball, or both.

His 33 not out in Brisbane was crucial and his last-over bowling heroics were just as good.

Batting at five or six means the West Australian relies on failures higher in the order when it comes to top runscorer betting.

He is always a decent shout for top wicket-taker, however, and should figure in every punter’s thoughts for Man of the Match.

T20 cricket specials at Sportsbet.com.au

Online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au is running a number of T20 betting specials for Friday’s game at the ‘G. These are our top picks:

Match result/top team batsman double – Australia/Chris Lynn at $7

Australia top batsman/top bowler double – Chris Lynn/Marcus Stoinis at $15

India top batsman/top bowler double – Rohit Sharma/Kuldeep Yadav at $11

Hit a six and take a wicket – Marcus Stoinis at $3.30

Australia or India – who wins?

The Aussies only just crept over the line at the Gabba, but there were some good signs.

Four of the top five bats hit 25 runs or more – a feat that seemed all but impossible only a few weeks ago.

And there is plenty of upside to the bowling, with Behrendorff, Stanlake and Tye all capable of much, much more than they produced in game one.

The same could be said of India’s batting, with Rohit and Kohli noted performers against the Aussies.

But there is a bit of value about Aaron Finch’s men, so that’s where our money is going.

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