Australia finally appeared competent in the series after suffering three back to back losses on the show. Although not a dominant performance, the Aussies managed to outclass the hosts in both batting and bowling departments.
The batting concerns looked to have faded to a great extent. Openers Aaron Finch and David Warner were in absolutely incredible form, and the middle order also ensured it did not flunk. The day would be flawless as far as batting is concerned had Steve Smith not failed.
Bowlers, later on, made an excellent match winning comeback after Indian openers gave a solid start to the chase. The performance in the death overs to strangle the chase was perhaps the highlight of the Aussie bowling performance.
India, on the other hand, wouldn’t think or analyse the loss much as it was just a couple of experiments going wrong. Kohli will perhaps stick to his plans as he had the liberty to try his ideas and commits mistakes.
When the two last met here, Indian chase down a 350 plus target with ease. After an even looking clash in Bengaluru where both teams posted 300 plus totals, it won’t be wrong to expect another high-scoring blockbuster on Sunday.
Team News
Hardik Pandya’s batting position will be a topic of discussion. In the post-match press conference, Kohli indicated that he might continue to keep Pandya in the same situation. So, naturally, we might see Pandya come out to bat at no.4 yet again.
In the bowling department, it remains to be seen if Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar get another opportunity. Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami made a comeback after resting for three games and did reasonably well in Bengaluru.
With little pressure on the bowling attack, Kohli may opt to go with the same combination. Thus, we can expect Yadav, who will play for the time in front of the home crowd, and Shami open the bowling.
In the Australian camp, Adam Zampa has flown back home. His absence will trigger one change in the XI at least with the most likely candidate set to replace appearing to be Aston Agar.
Pitch and conditions
The Australians know Nagpur very well. Even the supporters, including the Kangaroos in central Australia, know Nagpur very, very well. The last couple of visits has witnessed controversies due to the raging turners that were on offer. The venue also has an ICC warning to its credit. The curator, however, has promised a sporting wicket for the upcoming contest. But that doesn’t guarantee that the bowler will not get hammered.
Match Prediction:
On all four occasions, the winning captains have elected to bat first after the winning the toss. This indicates that the dew factor has been kept out of consideration. And, the conditions in Nagpur expected to be dry, we may see the toss-winning captain go for a bat first yet again in the series. Bowling may be little less rewarding considering the form of both the teams.
The revitalised Australia cannot be written off now, and India may look to re-assert their authority over the visitors. This makes it very difficult to predict, but India still has the edge over the opposition which may be a good advantage.