Tag: Virat Kohli

Cricket: Australia dominant in Sydney draw

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Australia wrapped up the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a dominant display in a drawn fourth and final test in Sydney.  The match went right to the final session as India battled bravely to avoid a third defeat in the condensed test series.  Set a final day target of 349, India looked relatively untroubled when they went into tea at 160/2 with Kohli and Viajy in command, needing a further 189 for victory.  Of the three possible results, only an Indian victory or a draw looked possible.  However, a flurry of wickets in the final session (3 for 10 at one stage when Kohli, Raina and Saha were all dismissed) ensured a tense finish for the sizeable Sydney crowd.  Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were able to save the match for India; lasting 12 overs, including ten with the second new ball.

The decision to take the new ball may in hindsight have been incorrect.  Josh Hazlewood had the old ball reversing nicely, and series leading wicket-taker Nathan Lyon had it dancing out of the footmarks on a wearing surface.  While the new ball decision may have contributed to the draw, the docile Sydney pitch also played it’s part.  Lacking in pace or movement, the SCG joined the other venues in the series in contributing to a batsman friendly series that produced 5870 runs across the four tests.

Two players in particular dined out; Steven Smith for 700, Virat Kohli for 692. On the other side, Suresh Raina contributed 0 from his two innings’ in the Sydney test.

The Sydney test started, not for the first time in the series, with hundreds to David Warner and Steven Smith.  In fact most of the Australian top order got amongst the runs in a daunting first up effort of 572/7 declared.  Of note, was Shane Watsons handy half century which probably did enough to see him on the Ashes plane, but would have still irked plenty of Australian fans.  Chris Rogers missed a hundred too, but he scored six consecutive fifties to close out the series.

India’s reply was typically pugnacious.  On plenty of occasions in this series their batsman have replied well to an imposing first innings target (probably while cussing their bowlers lack of control) and this was no different.  Two test batsman KL Rahul registered a fighting first hundred; he combined nicely with Virat Kohli (147) to ease India past the follow on and make the day task much simpler.  The strengthening made to the lower order paid dividends as Ashwin, Kumar, Saha and Shami all contributed to the cause.

When they were eventually dismissed 97 behind they needed some disciplined bowling to prevent Australia from dictating the game and the timing of any declaration.  They were not able to restrict the scoring rate however, and conceded 6.27 runs per over over the 40 second innings overs.  Australia therefore raced to 251/6 with Rogers (56), Smith (71) and Burns (66) all boosting averages and strike rates against a weak attack.

Despite the late wobbles, India survived defeat in what was a fair reflection of the game.  Although the 2-0 was deserved, the Indian side showed a lot more fight than previous touring teams and have discovered some important points about their team.  Ashen was excellent in overseas conditions for the first time, KL Rahul could be a long term opening solution, and Rahane and Kohli were confirmed as World Class.

For Australia, the new captain is now one of the brightest players in the World, and while there are question marks over 3 and 6 (Burns and Marsh too) the core group of contributors all played well and got through the series injury free (Michael Clarke aside).

The teams will now compete in a Carlton Mid Triangular Series with England to warm-up for the Cricket World Cup.  The action begins January 16.

India 475 (Kohli 147, Rahul 111, Starc 3-106) and 7 for 252 (Vijay 80) drew with Australia 7 for 572 dec (Smith 117, Warner 101, Rogers 95, Shami 5-112) and 6 for 251 dec (Smith 71, Burns 66, Rogers 56, Ashwin 4-105)

Cricket: Draw settles series in Australia’s favour

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Australia missed out on an opportunity to take a 3-0 lead in their series against India when the third test concluded in Melbourne yesterday, favouring instead, a safety first approach and an unassailable lead.

Much of the final day centred around Steven Smith’s declaration, and rather than give his bowlers plenty of time to bowl India out, Smith opted strangely to put the series beyond doubt (in the process possibly trying to give Shaun Marsh the opportunity to register a first home century) and ensure his side could not lose.  He declared Australia’s second innings at 318/9 to leave India a chase of 384 in 70 overs.

The total was never an option, especially as India fell to an alarming 19/3.  They did however manage to hold out.  They were six down when the game was abruptly called off by Smith and MS Dhoni; Australia running out of time but still winning the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

It was up to Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to do the bulk of the rescue work, not for the first time in the match.  The two look the most assured as Australia struggled to take the final wickets on a flat MCG wicket that produced its first draw for 17 years.  While they both fell in the final session, Dhoni, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Aswin all took up enough valuable time to avoid defeat.  Earlier in the match Kohli and Rahane had also starred in a 262 run first innings partnership that saw India respond to Australia’s first innings 530 with 465 of their own.  Rahane had 147 and Kohli 169 in highly entertaining knocks both for their batsmanship and the confrontations with Mitchell Johnson.

Australia should never been allowed to set the first innings foundations for the fifth day win.  They were 216/5 when new boy Joe Burns was dismissed, but as there tail has done so often during the series, wagged as if it were a labrador at a dinner party.  Australia’s lower order (partnerships 6-10) have contributed 784 runs this series, India’s 389, and that difference was glaringly obvious as the Aussies recovered.  Steven Smith was yet again the hero for Australia.  He dug in for another century (third of the series, fifth of the year, seventh of career) and scored 192 important runs.  Ryan Harris was also a surprise package with the bat, enhancing his reputation as the hardest training bowler of his batting, and scoring 74.

Harris was also the most likely to take Indian wickets on the final day.  He, along with Johnson and Josh Hazlewwod, had two wickets, but he easily look the most threatening.  He didn’t have the ball in his hand at the time but he undoubtedly found Steven Smith’s decision not to bowl the final four overs of the game bizarre.

Four wickets in twenty four balls was a distinct possibility given India’s fragile lower order.  In the end, he must have determined the best retirement gift for MS Dhoni was to save him a possible loss.

Luxbet are still offering their top run scorer special for the fourth test in Sydney.  Place a Team High Bat bet (1st Inn) on the 3rd or 4th Australia vs India Test Matches, and if your player scores 50 or more in the first innings, they’ll give you a bonus bet equal to your stake up to $100.

Australia 530 (Smith 192) and 9 for 318 dec (Marsh 99, Rogers 69) drew with India 465 (Kohli 169, Rahane 147, Harris 4-70) and 6 for 174 (Kohli 54)

Cricket: Smith leads Australian team full of changes

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Gabba is the new WACA as far as Australian cricket pitches go.  It’s full of pace, bounce, and for the Indian batsmen, fear.  Fresh from a modest paced and decidedly easy batting surface in Adelaide the Indians now face a much sterner test on the more bowler friendly Brisbane strip.  The surface is expected to be much more like the surfaces the Indian batsmen have historically struggled on; the recipe is the WACA from 2012 where India were bundled out for 161 and 171.

That puts India on the back foot immediately, but there could be silver linings in the return of their inspiration leader and the vast number of changes to the opposing side.  Both sides have new captains at the helm for game two; one with all the experience under the sun, and the other with zero – thrust into the spotlight as the third youngest captain in Australia’s test history.  If Steven Smith’s batting is any indication as to captaincy ability, he’ll be fine, but the World will be watching in earnest as to whether he can command the respect of senior players like Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Warner who all would have had their own captaincy ambitions.

MS Dhoni certainly commands respect and he’ll also bring a more conservative game plan to his teams approach; he’ll likely be a little more defensive / pragmatic than Virat Kohli.  The Gabba surface won’t only favour the home side; Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and Mohammed Shami could find assistance in the bouncy deck if they pitch the ball up and don’t get carried away bowling short stuff.  They will, however, need to bowl a much tighter line to David Warner if they don’t want the game to get away from them in the first session again.

The Last Time These Two Met

Game one will go down in history as an absolute classic, not only for the emotional ties to Phillip Hughes’ but also for the scintillating individual performances.  Two players scored hundreds in both innings (David Warner and Virat Kohli) and Steven Smith scored an unbeaten hundred followed by an uneaten fifty.  Then there was Nathan Lyon.  In fairness Australia were the better side through most of the game and will take more momentum and confidence into this one.

The Teams

Australia: 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Injuries to Michael Clarke and Ryan Harris sees Shaun Marsh and Josh Hazlewood given a chance to prove their wares.  Marsh is well tested at this level and should suit the lower order more than his previous struggles at 3.  Exciting quickie Josh Hazlewood earns his baggy green on the back of some impressive one day form.  Mitchell Starc replaces the ineffective Peter Siddle in the other change.

India: 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt,wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Varun Aaron, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav.

MS Dhoni is expected to return to captain the side.  He’ll add some middle order stability that was lacking with Wriddhiman Saha in the side.  Ravichandran Ashwin is also added at the expense of Karn Sharma.

The Key Players

Steven Smith – Everything Smith does in this test will be questioned.  The toss, the bowling rotations, the field placements and his batting.  He can probably withstand the heightened attention on his batting and the quality of the Australian team should paper over any cracks in his captaincy.  Much like the coaching of John Buchanan when he inherited such a strong side nothing could go wrong.

Rohit Sharma – For someone that has two ODI double hundreds (including a top score of 264) Sharma hasn’t exactly excelled in the test environment.  Admittedly he has been in and out of the squad and also frustratingly waiting patiently for a chance while Dravid, Laxman, and Tendulkar finished their careers.  However, his record needs to improve.  He needs to kick on from the starts.  He needs a big score.

The Odds*

Australia – $1.55

Draw – $4.25

India – $5.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Luxbet.

The Prediction

Australia will be far to strong on the bouncy surface.  The bounce tests the Indian batsmen techniques too much and all of them are susceptible to defending with their hands and half a bat outside off stump.  Expect the Australia seamers to have a field day and win this one by an innings.

Cricket: Lyon’s 12 the difference in perfect test

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After five days of gripping test cricket Nathan Lyon’s seven second innings wickets were the difference between two teams desperate for a win in Adelaide in a match that has already been described as “perfect”.  For vastly different reasons the two supremos of World cricket needed a win.  In Australia’s case it was for their colleague, their friend and their inspiration, Phillip Hughes; four of their players, Brad Haddin, David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Shane Watson were all playing in the tragic game in which Hughes was hit.  India too had every reason to win this game.  Their horrid record in Australia needed remedying; their captain was missing and the stand-in was captaining for the first time; and they couldn’t take a backwards step against Mitchell Johnson.

The result of both team’s ambitious intentions was an amazing spectacle featuring tremendous individual performances and ebbs and flows befitting of a battle between two proud cricketing nations.  The match culminated in a final day where each of the three results were possible.  Chasing an unlikely 364 for victory India set about their task diligently initially, and then later aggressively.  Viral Kohli and Murali Vijay were the stars sharing a 185 run partnership that sent both sets of fans to the edge of their seats.  They were bought together after Shikhar Dhawan had been given out caught behind in what looked like only chest, and Cheteshwar Pujara had become Nathan Lyon’s first victim.

Criticisms of Lyon in the past have revolved around his inability to take big wickets in the fourth innings of matches, and as the monumental partnership continued those criticisms only strengthened, despite some blatant LBW calls that should have gone his way.  However, as a win started to look possible for the tourists, Vijay inexplicably missed a straight one on 99 to open the floodgates.  From there Lyon tore through the rest of the Indian line up through a combination of accurate bowling, poor umpiring decisions, and brainless batting.  His figures of 7-152 gave him 12 for the match and delivered the win Australia were desperately seeking.

India’s last session implosion was ambitious as it was reckless.  Kohl’s aggressive attitude during his 175-ball 141 clearly rubbed off on his team as the lower order tried in vain to get their side over the line.  Kohl’s knock (or knocks for that matter – he also scored 114 in the first innings) did not deserve to be in losing efforts, but he will rue his miscue off Lyon when shepherding the tail was the more sensible option.

The generous target of 364 set by Australia was predominantly due to the loss in overs from Wednesday’s rain, and David Warners match strike-rate.  The destructive leftie amassed hundreds in both innings’; striking at 88 and 61 to give Australia the time needed to bowl India out on the final day.  He was supported by old captain Michael Clarke (128), and new captain Steven Smith (162* and 52*) who both displayed supreme confidence at the wicket.  Michael Clarke’s knock was especially brave after he entered the game with an injury cloud and left the game under a much worse career threatening injury cloud.

The GABBA hosts the second match in the series and will test the fragile Indian batting lineup, whereas personnel changes may threaten Australia’s momentum.  Both Sportsbet Australia and Ladbrokes Australia have predicted an easy series win for Australia on the back of the first up win.  Their series betting odds are:

Sportsbet Australia Series Market

Australia $1.06

Draw $14.00

India $26.00

Ladbrokes Australia Correct Score Market

Australia 3-0 – $3.25

Australia 4-0 – $3.50

Australia 3-1 – $5.00

Australia 2-1 – $6.50

Australia 2-0 – $7.00

Draw 2-2 – $19.00

Draw 1-1 – $29.00

India 2-1 – $34.00

Australia 1-0 – $51.00

India 3-1 – $101.00

Australia 7 for 517 dec (Smith 162*, Warner 145, Clarke 128) and 5 for 290 dec (Warner 102) beat India 444 (Kohli 115, Lyon 5-134) and 315 (Kohli 141, Vijay 99, Lyon 7-152) by 48 runs

Cricket: Clarke fit to lead Australia in first test

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After expecting to play the first game of cricket in the four match test series in Brisbane, all of the players will have to adjust to the new surroundings of Adelaide and the general eeriness that will linger throughout the test match.  The rescheduled match has made the side selection much easier for Australia.  If the first match did go ahead as planned at the Gabba, Michael Clarke was no chance to play.  Now he’s passed a fitness test and is playing with some serious motivation.  The chance to dedicate an innings to his “little brother” is a worrying proposition for the Indians who are without their own skipper, MS Dhoni, who is recovering from a broken thumb.

Virat Kohli, who signalled his arrival on test cricket’s World scene with a debut hundred in Australia the last time he was here, leads the team in Dhoni’s absence.  India desperately need his run-scoring ability and his slightly combative attitude to set the tone.

The Last Time These Two Met

The two teams play in vastly differing conditions and struggle when taken away from their home comforts.  This is shown in the series scores from the last times the teams met.  In 2012/13 in India, India won the series 4-0.  The same scoreline separated the sides in Australia in 2011/12.

The Teams

Australia 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan Lyon.

India 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Wriddiman Saha (wk), 8 Karn Sharma, 9 Varun Aaron, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Mohammad Shami.

The Key Players

Michael Clarke – The mental strength required for Clarke to play in the first test of the summer should not be underestimated.  Following a role as a pillar of the country in the wake of Phillip Hughes’ passing, Clarke has taken to all his support roles with consulate professionalism and respect.  He’ll be hoping for similar strength from his dodgy hamstring to help him get through the first cricket test of the series.  He’s a key player to see if he has anything remaining in the physical and mental tank after his impressive effort just to be available.  He’s at $4.50 to top score for his side at Unibet.

Ajinkya Rahane – Rahane is quickly becoming India’s go to cricketer.  The diminutive yet correct right hander has been in rich vein of form of late and has already been touted by opposing players this summer.  After their match against the Cricket Australia XI, bowler Josh Lalor commented that Rahane “looks probably the most settled of their players at the moment”.  He’s paying $6 to top score in the first dig.

The Odds*

Australia – $1.63

India – $7.50

Draw – $3.20

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Unibet.

The Prediction

History tells us the Indians struggle in Australia and this series should be no different.  Without captain MS Dhoni it is expected the tourists will struggle to take 20 wickets and concede large totals.  That leaves too much to do for their batsmen, and considering the likes of Dravid, Laxman and Tendulker have not been able to save them in the past, we see this one going the way of the Australians.