Australia and India in Another Test Series: Who Takes the Brisbane Matchup This Time?
Mason Rose |Cricket fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. Until the end of the year, there is going to be yet another round of cricket test series. Who is playing, we hear you ask? Well, the usual suspects and age-old rivals, India and Australia. Cricket enthusiasts will get to watch two of the best teams on the planet going at it with a ton of action in store between now and early January. The 5-game test series between the visiting Men in Blue and the home-based Baggy Greens always brings the best that the sport has to offer. As the first test is coming to a close today, it is proving to be one of the best in recent memory. If you love the sport you know perfectly well how important these test series are. They take place quite often and remind everyone why the good old-fashioned traditional form is still viable. With T20 becoming increasingly big, the old days-long matches are less popular today.
However, when Aussies host the Indians, it is clear why it needs to stay relevant and continue going on. One of the biggest rivalries in sports has a storied history and stretches back decades. From December 14 to December 18, Australia is going to host another test at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane in what will be the third out of 5 planned meetings. In this guide, we examine this upcoming matchup and attempt to predict the winners. This will be especially crucial for those who like to watch the sport and also bet on cricket while doing so. Cricket is now finally a huge betting sport and these tests are a great chance to wager on one of the best matches available.
Test 1 in Perth Is Done: Who Won?
Played between November 22 and 25 at the Optus Stadium in Perth, the first test is finally over after a very strong showing by the visiting team. India took matters into their own hands right from the start and never looked back. They won by 295 runs on day 4, session 3, and now lead 1-0 in the 5-test series. The final score was IND 150 487/6d to AUS 104 238. The player of the game? None other than Jasprit Bumrah of course, with 5/30 & 8 & 3/42. When the actual play is concerned, the match can be described as India’s thrashing of Australia.
In the 1st innings, India went 150. Nitish Kumar Reddy was 41 (59) and Rishabh Pant was 37 (78). For Australia, Josh Hazlewood was 4/29 (13) and Mitchel Marsh was 2/12 (5). In Australia’s 1st innings were 104, Mitchel Starc went 26 (112) and Alex Carey was at 21 (31). For India, it was Jasprit Bumrah with 5/30 (18) and Harshit Rana with 3/48 (15.2). The 2nd inning was another big one for India as they were 487/6d. Yashavsi Jaiswal went 161 (297) and Virat Kohli went 100 (143). For the Aussies, Nathan Lyon was 2.96 (39) and Josh Hazlewood was 1/28 (21). For Australia’s 2nd innings of 238, Travis Head went 89 (101) and Mitchel Marsh was 47 (67). Jasprit Bumrah achieved 3/42 (12) and Mohammed Siraj went 3/51 (14).
Regarding the biggest stories of the game, India’s national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir is set to return home for personal reasons. He will fly back before the second test starts and will leave his team in their ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy chase for the 2024/25 season. He will however come back before the IND vs AUS 2nd test starts at Adelaide on December 6. “Gambir has informed us that he will be traveling back home and will join the team before the start of the second test. He has cited personal reasons and the BCCI has accepted his request,” the official report says. Support staff members Ryan ten Doeschate, Abhiskeh Nayar, Morne Morkel, and T Dilip will take charge in the meantime.
Test 3 at The Gabba in Brisbane: Odds, Predictions and Forecasts
With the first test finally over, the focus shifts to the upcoming second test set to take place between December 6 and 10 at the Adelaide Oval. A lot is at stake for this second meeting now that India won the first match in such a glorious fashion. They are the better team right now and that is very clear. Of course, the sportsbooks know it and agree giving them better chances and odds across the board for both the second series, but also the third, and the remainder of the whole schedule. On top of this, are also predicted to win the upcoming World Cup competitions due to their amazing record and form. Recent history against Australia is on their side as well, something we will mention in more depth in the following sections.
Let us not focus on the most important part of this whole article, the third overall test series that is going to be played at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland. As we already stated, this AUS vs IND test series has everything to be an instant classic. It does not take much for these two sides to deliver great games and it will be more of the same when the match could decide who goes through in the World Test Championship with the final match in England in summer. Top teams qualify for the final and Indian and Australian sides have a chance to do so, India being closer now after taking the lead.
In terms of their most recent duels, it is not so favorable for the home team as they have not managed to win against India as visitors nearly as often as they would have liked. Their last win on home territory came a decade ago during the 2014/15 season. This is definitely not something a team wants in any situation where rivalries exist and where everyone is always keeping score. With veterans like Steve Smith and Virat Kohli in the teams’ ranks, it should be great performances are guaranteed but there can only ever be one winner. Both have a lot to prove and wish to win, but India is simply the better team at the moment. Their talent includes Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma who are a handful, more than Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins, and Travis Head can handle in a 5-test series.
The overall predictions for the upcoming test matches show India is the clear favorite with their odds being 1.83 right now. Australia’s chances dropped after the loss in Perth and their odds are now slightly worse than they were at 2.8. While it does not happen that often, the odds of the series being a draw are 9. A Popular bet that fans adore when tests are being played includes predicting the correct score, i.e. the final win and loss total for both teams. For example, a 3 – 2 win for India is the safest bet at the moment with 5.5 odds. The same score but to Australia’s advantage has the odds at 6. India winning the series 4 – 1 currently has odds of 8, while a 2 – 2 draw is at 9 at the moment.
Play of the series bets are also very big, and the leading players are all Indian. Jasprit Bumrah is the frontrunner with odds of 7 followed by Virat Kohli and Yashavi Jaiswal with 7.5 each. Australia’s best players, Travis Head and Steven Smith, are 4th and 5th with odds of 11 each. Yashavi Jaiswal leads the top Indian batsman odds with 2.75 while for the Aussies it is Travis Head with 3.75. Jasprit Bumrah (2.63) and Josh Hazlewood (5.5) are the leaders for the top bowlers for their respective teams. All of these bets are fun to play but one thing needs to be remembered. Australia will have additional motives especially if India takes a 2 – 0 lead going into test 3 in Brisbane.
About The Gabba Venue in Brisbane, Australia
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known and more famous as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in the city of Brisbane. The city is the capital of Queensland, Australia, and therefore a major hub across multiple social, business, and entertainment branches. The interesting nickname comes from the neighborhood in which the stadium is located, Woolloongabba. Apart from cricket games, the stadium also hosts athletics, Australian football, rugby, football (soccer), baseball, and even horse and greyhound races. It was of course also home to fabulous concerts and other art manifestations.
The stadium was established in 1895 and its capacity is 37,000. Apart from numerous national games where the home team plays, the Gabba is also home to a few domestic teams, mainly Queensland Bulls, the Brisbane Heat (Big Bash League), and the Brisbane Lion (Australian Football League). The first test series was played between Australia and South Africa from 27 November to 3 December 1931. The most recent one was from January 25 to 28 of 2024 when Australia hosted the West Indies.
Head-to-Head Statistics and Records
Despite India currently being the favorite team across the board, the overall history between the two teams is not on their side. During the long time of their matchup in traditional cricket series, the Aussies have been more successful so far. The two sides played a grand total of 107 test matches over the long history of their rivalry. Out of those, India won 32, Australia won 45, and there were 29 draws and 1 tie. India won 23 times as the home team and Australia 30 times.
Their last match came last year, on June 7, 2023, when Australia won by 209 runs and the score was 469, 270/8 for them and 296, 234 for India. Before that, there was a draw match on March 9, 2023, a week after a 9-wicket win by the Aussies on March 1. To go a bit further back, India won three consecutive meetings on January 15, February 9, and February 17 of 2023. This only goes to show how frequent the matches between these two sides are and what they mean for this amazing sport.
Remaining Test Meetings: A Month of Action Down Under
When the almost-over November 22 to November 26 test 1 finishes and the upcoming December 6 – 10 and December 14 – 18 tests 2 and 3 are over, there are going to be two more meetings between the two legendary international clubs. As you know, they will be seeing a lot of each other in the next month and a half and they probably do not mind that. It is the absolute best way to get better since they are playing against their biggest rivals.
The 4th test comes only eight days after the previous one finishes. It is scheduled to take place between December 26 and December 30 and it is going to be played at the MCG in Melbourne. That is slightly less than a week later, starting right on Boxing Day, December 26, and will last until the second to last day of 2024. This time of year is perfect for sports fans because of how many big games across different sports take place. It will be a great way for the fans of the sport to finish an already great and productive year of cricket in big fashion.
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