FANTASY
Follow UsIndia have so far dominated the series, and the result of that is a 2-0 lead. By virtue of it, they have retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the fourth consecutive year.
Australia are to blame themselves for their misery this series. In the first Test, they were lost by the visual representation of the pitch, and in the second, they lost the game because of some dumb cricket.
Now, with crucial players unavailable, Australia face another stiff challenge in the third Test. However, they can keep aside one tension and that is their combination. With David Warner and Pat Cummins out of contention, Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc come in place of them, without compromising on batting or a spinner.
Ground details
Holkar Stadium, Indore, has hosted only two Tests, one in 2016 against New Zealand, and the other against Bangladesh in 2019. India batted three innings and the maximum wickets they lost in an innings was six wickets against Bangladesh. Their totals read: 557/5d & 216/3d vs NZ, and 493/6 vs BAN.
Both New Zealand and Bangladesh batted in both innings, and none of them could cross the 300-run barrier.
However, Indore has been one of those venues that has something for the pacers as well as spinners, unlike Delhi. In Tests, as well as the recent First-class matches. In the two Tests, spinners have bagged 28 wickets at a bowling strike rate of 67 and an average of 38.8. Whereas, the pacers have picked up 22 wickets at a balls/wicket ratio of 77 and average of 43.1.
In FC matches since 2022, pacers have bagged the larger chunk of wickets (126) and have better average (24.5) and strike rate (28.2) as compared to spinners (87 wickets at 28.2 average and 63 strike rate).
Suggested team
While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captaincy Suggestion
For small league: Ravindra Jadeja (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin (vice-capt)
For grand league: Axar Patel (capt), Steve Smith (vice-capt)
Stats that matter
- In this series, India’s lower order batters (7-9) have scored 279 runs at an average of 46.5 and three 50+ scores. Whereas, Australia’s lower order batters have averaged 8.6, scoring 103 runs.
-So far in this series, Nathan Lyon has bagged eight wickets, and all those eight wickets have been against right-handers. He has bowled 37.1 overs without picking up a wicket. He has induced 13 percent of false shots against left-handers as compared to 17.3 percent against right-handers.
-In this series, apart from his one dismissal against Ravichandran Ashwin, Marnus Labuschagne has comfortably played him out. However, his troubles have been against Jadeja. The left-arm orthodox bowler has dismissed him thrice at an average of 15.7.
Grand league punts
-Axar Patle hasn’t come to the party with the ball yet, and understandably so. He has bowled only 26 overs as compared to 67 by Jadeja and 65 by Ashwin. However, in the limited opportunities with the bat, Axar has been excellent. In fact, with 158 runs, he has the second most runs in this series. With truck loads of runs down the order and wickets, Axar is for sure a vital cog.
- In Tests, Steve Smith has captained Australia in 34 Tests and averages 67.3 after scoring 3793 runs. Among batters who have scored 2000+ runs as a captain, only the decorated Sir Don Bradman (101.5) has a higher average than Smith. He averages 81.1 in 14 innings as a skipper against India.
Here are the top 10 criclytics projection
Probable XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill/KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann
