Factor In Outside Factors When Betting On India vs. Australia Series

Indian players have been busy contesting in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and staying in the UAE’s bio-bubble. They will fly straight from the UAE on the IPL Championship final on Nov 9 and go straight to Australia for a gruelling tour that includes 4 test matches, 3 ODIs, and 3 T20 games.

Closely Contested Series

India vs. Australia draws a lot of attention with cricket fans in India because Australia not only can push India, which a lot of other teams don’t, but also beat them, especially in the test arena.

The series will commence with 3 ODI games followed by the T20 series. This works well for India as all of the Indian players taking part in the shorter game format have spent quite some time in the middle playing the IPL. The same can be said for many of the Aussie players who have also been part of the IPL.

The first ODI starts on Nov 27, and the third and final ODI takes place on Dec 02. The first T20 game starts on Dec 04, and the third T20 takes place on Dec 08.

If India can win either one or both of the series, it will give them a much-needed confidence boost going into the test match series. The Aussies will be the favorites given the home advantage, but there will be many outside factors that need to be taken into consideration before you place a bet on these games. We take a look at what factors you need to consider before placing your wagers.

Mental Health

This is not going to be a typical India tour of Australia due to COVID-19 issues. All of the IPL players have been in a bio-bubble for nearly 6 weeks. India players will go into quarantine once they touch Australian shores and, after that, head off into another bio-bubble that will last throughout their tour down under.

The continuous restrictions imposed by the bio-bubble setup will take its toll on all players, especially the touring side India. If Australia can manage a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series, it will significantly impact their confidence and test their mental strength.

Expect some players to weaken mentally as the tour progresses as they will be thinking about returning home after being away from India for over 4 months. This will definitely play a part in their performances on the field.

Australia has always been a hard place to tour as the crowds can really give it to you. If Australia can get under the skin of the Indian players, it might make it easier for them to win.

Absence Of Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli leads from the front, and his aggressive captaincy style has rubbed off on the rest of the squad. Kohli does not back down and takes the fight to the opposition. This is exactly what India needs in Australia as they only want to fight fire is with fire, as the saying goes.

However, Kohli is likely to play only in the first test match and then fly home to be present for his first child’s birth. Given that Kohli will be subject to quarantine requirements when he returns to Australia, it is highly likely that Kohli will miss the rest of the test series.

The BCCI is looking to see if it can work out a deal where Kohli is given an exception from the Australian government regarding the quarantine period he will be subjected to on return, but this is a slim possibility.

India will need to be prepared to play three test matches without Kohli, the batsman, and Kohli, the skipper. Keep this in mind when betting on the test series as Kohli is also the best test batsman in the squad.

Injury Concerns

When you play back-to-back tournaments and series, there is always the possibility of players going down with serious injuries. Rohit Sharma was initially not named in the squad to tour Australia as the BCCI felt that he was not fit enough given the injury he suffered in the IPL.

However, Rohit Sharma returned for the Mumbai Indians in the group stage’s final game, and it appears he has recovered. Whether he has recovered fully is hard to tell, but the BCCI will include him in the squad to Australia.

This is a good thing for India as Sharma is one of the most experienced players in the squad and will be a great stand-in captain in Kohli’s absence. If Sharma is not fully fit, he could suffer another injury. Ishant Sharma is also expected to join the test series later after he recovers from injury.

Keep a close watch on players who are battling injury concerns and whether they will or will not be a part of the playing XI when you bet.