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Australia v India, 2nd Test, Fantasy Preview

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Last updated on 24 Dec 2020 | 09:38 PM
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Australia v India, 2nd Test, Fantasy Preview

Here are a few tips that might help you in creating your fantasy team for the second Test between Australia and India

After the ups and downs of an indifferent year, the biggest tradition of the Australian summer is upon us. Australia will host India in the Boxing Day Test. India have their back against the wall after an embarrassing batting collapse which made the world take notice of their travails Down Under. All eyes are now set on how the visitors recover themselves - a prospect which might well set the tone for the remainder of the series. 

Pitch, conditions and team combination

Batting will be easier at the Melbourne Cricket Ground than it was at Adelaide Oval in the first Test. Amongst the venues with at least four Tests since 2016, MCG has the fifth best batting average overall for the Top 7 - 40.3 runs per wicket - which is also the second best in Australia. The ball generally does not do much here. 

Hence, the top batsmen from both sides must be picked. Although, in the absence of David Warner and Virat Kohli, there are not many options available in terms of proven batsmen. Also, a lot of these batsmen will be playing for their spot in the side. 

The story is pretty similar on the bowling front as well, at least for India. There is a continued suspense on who will replace the injured Mohammad Shami in the XI. Meanwhile, Australia have a settled attack. 

Categorizing the bowlers, MCG has not been kind to spinners. They have averaged 48.7 runs per wicket in comparison to 32.4 by the pacers. 

Both sides have only finger spinners in their ranks, who have been better than their wrist-spin counterparts. Although, they have also earned only 1.2 wickets per innings in MCG since 2016. We will still advise to pick both Nathan Lyon and R Ashwin as they are wily enough to extract something out of the track. Lyon, especially, has been one of the better spinners here, by the virtue of his experience at the venue. 

Suggested Team


While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we come up with six different teams that could fetch crucial points.

Captain Selection

Steve Smith did not look convincing in the first Test but that does not mean he is out of form. Prior to the ODI series, the Aussie batsman said he has found his hands and showed he was not kidding with back-to-back 62-ball hundreds. He will now be at MCG, his favorite ground not only in Australia, but in the entire world - an average of 113.5, with four hundreds in seven games. On a pitch which is supposed to act in favor of batsmen, there could be no better pick than Smith as your captain. 

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Smith to score 41-62 runs.

X-Factors

MCG is a tough place for bowlers but Pat Cummins knows how to get wickets here. Amongst the currently active Test cricketers, Cummins has the best average for a bowler who has picked at least 10 wickets - 18 wickets in three games at 16.2 runs per wicket. He has two five-wicket hauls at the iconic venue. Cummins was in fine form in Adelaide too, picking seven wickets. He is an apt candidate to be the vice-captain of your side. 

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Cummins to pick 5-7 wickets.

Mayank Agarwal has not been amongst big runs in the last couple of Test matches but the MCG track is more likely to suit his style. It was at this venue, two years ago, when he began his Test journey with an impressive 76 in his debut innings. He will take confidence from that, and is also the most established one amongst the four openers.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Mayank to score 21-32 runs.

Cheteshwar Pujara has been a rock-like figure in India’s Test line up for a couple of years. In the absence of Kohli, he will be India’s lead batsman. He can wear down the best of the attacks in the toughest of conditions. In a game where the batsmen are expected to shine, you can certainly bank on his dogged approach. 

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Pujara to score 30-45 runs.

Notable Exclusions

Tim Paine was the man-of-the-match in Adelaide but a supposedly batting friendly track at MCG might not give him much to do with the bat. Mitchell Starc has a poor record at this venue. He averages 38.7 here, his worst amongst all Test venues Down Under. Josh Hazlewood also averages 38.2 at MCG but Starc’s reputation of going astray makes Hazlewood a promising pick over the left-arm seamer. 


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