Australia vs India 3rd Test Prediction
Dec 26, 2018
05:00 IST / 0:30 GMT
Melbourne Cricket Ground - Melbourne, Australia
AUS
IND
AUS vs IND Betting Tips
- Australia have gained momentum and will be high on confidence after having secured a comprehensive win in the last match at Perth.
- Australia boast a mighty record at the MCG in tests - they have won 15 and lost just 2 of their last 19 matches at this ground.
- India's opening batsmen have struggled to score runs in this series and there is way too much reliance on Pujara, Kohli and Rahane.
AUS vs IND Win Probability
The "Chance of Winning" Widget shows winning percentage depending upon live betting odds of teams participating in the match. The winning percentage is changed immediately when odds are updated.
Our Prediction
Australia are favorites to win
Who Will Win India vs Australia 3rd Test?
Australia inflicted a big 146-run defeat on India in the second test at Perth to level the four-match series 1-1. The two teams will now meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Boxing Day test to be played from December 26. Live telecast of the third test is scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM local time each day of the match.
Aus vs Ind 3rd Test: Where to Watch/Live Streaming
TV channels: Fox Sports, Sky Sports, Sony Six, BT Sport, SuperSport, OSN Sports Cricket HD
Live Streaming: Bet365, Foxtel, Sky Go, SonyLIV, OSN Play
Toss Prediction
Four of the last six test matches played at the MCG have been won by the side bowling first. Also, the pitch here is expected to offer plenty of movement for the seam bowlers early on with the new ball. So even though the first two games of the ongoing series were won by the side batting first, the toss-winning skipper may be tempted to field first this time around.
Read on for team previews, betting odds, betting tips and match prediction for Aus vs Ind 3rd Test...
Australia Team News & Playing 11
AUS Team News
Australia have not made any changes to their squad for the final two test matches. Opening batsman Aaron Finch, who took a blow on his finger while batting during the Perth test, has been declared fit for this game. The hosts could bring in Mitchell Marsh in place of an out-of-form Peter Handscomb who has scored just 68 runs from his four innings in the series. The rest of the Australian line-up is expected to remain unchanged.
AUS Key Players
Marcus Harris and Travis Head have looked good with the bat so far. The latter has scored the most runs for Australia in this series and has hit a couple of half-centuries already. Harris cracked a 70 at Perth and the onus will be on him to take his team off to a strong start since Aaron Finch tends to be a little tentative at the start of his innings. Usman Khawaja with a century and two fifties in three tests at the MCG is another key man in this batting group. Nathan Lyon has been the top performer with the ball for Australia in this series with 16 wickets. The off-spinner has 26 wickets in 7 tests at this ground and he will continue to be a major threat to the Indian batsmen. Mitchell Starc has found his rhythm back as he took a match haul of five wickets at Perth and he along with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are once again expected to trouble the visitors with the new ball.
AUS Recent Form
The 146-run victory at Perth was just the third win for Australia in the nine test matches they have played so far this year. After going down in the opening game at Adelaide by 31 runs, the hosts showed a lot of character to bounce back with such a comprehensive win in the next game. Australia were excellent with the bat in the first innings of the last match and were brilliant with the ball in the fourth innings as they ran through the Indian batting line-up.
Australia Predicted Playing 11
Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb/Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Tim Paine(c/wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
India Team News & Playing 11
IND Team News
India have plenty of selection headaches going into the third test despite having a 19-man squad. Murali Vijay and KL Rahul have misfired so far and it will be interesting to see whether the team continues to back both the openers or replace one of them with the talented but inexperienced Mayank Agarwal. Ravichandran Ashwin is their first-choice spinner but it remains to be seen whether he is cleared fit enough to play on match day. Ravindra Jadeja will be India's next-best option in case Ashwin misses out. Rohit Sharma seems to have recovered from his back injury but should they leave out Hanuma Vihari who batted well at Perth and also provides an extra bowling option is another tough question that lies before them.
IND Key Players
With the openers struggling to score in these conditions, the Indian batting relies heavily on their big three - Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Kohli and Rahane both cracked tons the last time they played Australia at the MCG in a test match in 2014 and they will be expected to deliver a similar performance here. Pujara is the leading run-getter in the series with 222 runs which includes a century and a fifty. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been the pick of the bowlers for India with 11 wickets apiece. Shami has six wickets in the only test he has played at this venue and he could cause problems for the Aussies both with the new and the old ball. Ishant Sharma has taken eight wickets and the team will want him to continue bowling with the same accuracy he has shown in the first two matches.
IND Recent Form
India have now played 13 test matches this year out of which they have won 6 and lost the rest. They went into the last match on the back of three successive wins (a 2-0 clean seep over the West Indies followed by a 31-run win over Australia at Adelaide) but a defeat kept them from extending their winning streak. The visitors remained sharp with the ball throughout the last game but their batsmen were the main culprit as they succumbed to the Australian attack in the fourth innings.
India Predicted Playing 11
Lokesh Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari/Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin/Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
AUS vs IND Team Form in Last Five Matches
AUS : W L L D L
IND : L W W W L
Australia vs India Head to Head
Australia and India have now played 96 test matches against each other with the former leading the scoreline 42-27. While one of the matches has produced a tie, the remaining 26 have all ended in draws.
The two countries have played 12 test matches against each other at the MCG. Eight of those have been won by Australia and two by India with the remaining two ending in stalemates.
The match ended in a draw the last time Australia met India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the game's longest format in December 2014.
Matches Played: 96; Australia Won: 42; India Won: 27; Tie: 1; Draw: 26
Australia vs India Betting Odds
Australia are favorites amongst the bookmakers to win the third test and are being offered at odds of 2.22 on Betfair and 2.10 on both Betway and Bet365. India begin as the underdogs at a slightly higher price of 2.40 on Betway, 2.50 on Bet365 and 2.58 on Betfair. The odds for this game to end in a draw stand at 6 on Betfair and 5.50 on both Betway and Bet365.
🏆 Australia vs India Prediction
Since 1998, the MCG has hosted 20 test matches out of which only two have produced a draw. And with both the teams having quality bowling attacks and with no rain threat around, wagering on a draw here would be a risky option.
Australia have a very impressive test record at this ground. In their past 19 matches here, they have won 15 and lost just 2. They have also gained momentum now with that emphatic win at Perth along with the confidence of taking a lead in the series. India, on the other hand, are carrying plenty of injury worries and find themselves stuck in a dilemma over team selection. Though both sides have a pretty evenly matched bowling attack, it is the depth in their batting that gives the Aussies an edge which is why we expect them to go 2-1 up at the end of this match.
Final Verdict: Back Australia to beat India in the third test at 2.22 with Betfair and 2.10 with both Betway and Bet365.
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