Australia vs India Prediction: Sharma and Stoinis could be in business in 4th IT20

Jamie Pacheco previews the fourth T20I of the Series between Australia and India, which will be played at Carrara on Thursday. The match will start at 08:15 and be broadcast live on TNT Sports.  

Jamie has found a big price on an extremely capable and experienced Australia batsman and also an Indian batter at a shorter one that ticks plenty of boxes. Let's check out who he's backing and why as we go through his Australia vs India Predictions...

*You can check out the Cricket Odds from all of our Cricket Betting markets over on betfred.com

Match Preview:

Australia  

Australia picked the wrong match to leave 10-15 runs out there batting first because we'd backed them to win the game. A brilliant 74 off 38 from Tim David - finally batting at 4 rather than 6. 7 or 8 as has been the case in the past - and an equally impressive 64 off 39 from Marcus Stoinis got them to a total that could have won them the game, but didn't.  

They were left to rue a missed opportunity when their two openers failed to make the most of the Powerplay, contributing just 17 runs between them.    

With the ball, Nathan Ellis did the best he could and ended with 3-36 to hand us a good win on the Aussie top bowler market at 3/1 after we highlighted his vast experience of playing at Hobart in the Big Bash.  

But he didn't get much support from the others, with Xavier Bartlett the best of a bad bunch.  

Travis Head leaves to go and play red ball cricket in preparation for the Ashes and there's no Sean Abbott either, for the same reason.  

Ben Dwarshius comes into the squad and could play. We're unsure what the situation is regarding Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell.  

India 

Am improved performance from India saw them level the Series at 1-1. Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy were the main men with the ball while in reply, all of the Top seven got to double figures but only one player - Washington Sundar - passed 30, Sundar top scoring with 49 in a very strange-looking scorecard.  

Jitesh Sharma was preferred to Sanju Samson in the keeper position and is expected to keep his place for this one. Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be rested after that last game, a rarity these days.    

Pitch and conditions

There have only ever been two T20Is played at Carrara.  

Back in 2018 South Africa beat Australia in a rain-reduced 10-over affair and then in 2022 Australia only got home in chasing the Windies' 146 with one ball to spare.  

So not much to go by on that count. But there's good news: our usual 'weather-watch' betting market makes it 1/100 we'll get a completed match.  

Match Winner Odds

Australia are 11/10, 47.6% implied probability, with India 8/11. Those prices look correct.   

Australia just keep on losing players to injury or Ashes duty and of the XI that will play on Thursday, maybe two or three at most would make the Aussies' best XI if this was a World Cup match.  

This is probably quite close to India's best XI give or take and at this stage, that might be more important than Australia's knowledge of conditions.  

*For all the latest and live Australia vs India 4th IT20 Odds then head over to betfred.com 

Australia Top Batsman  

I was glad that Stoinis didn't top-score the other day because I thought long and hard about recommending him at a big price and that would have been a bitter pill to swallow to have missed out on a double-figure winner.  

But the good news is his price stayed pretty much the same for this one at 11/1. In addition to the good form shown the other day, I also suspect he might get a promotion to at least number five.

With a senior player in Travis Head no longer there, they may decide they could do with some more international experience up the order. Either way, he's too good a player to be that price in a depleted Australian batting line-up.    

Top India Batsman  

As regards India, we're going for a more conservative approach. Abishek Sharma is not one to die wondering at the top of the order and was in excellent form in the 2nd T20I, top scoring with 68 off just 37 balls.  

Shubman Gill looks strangely out of touch, and they tend to shuffle the batting order around  so you never quite know where the likes of Sky Yadav and Tilak Varma might bat. Going with an opener at a fair price at 3/1 who 's in form isn't a difficult option to take.   

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