The time has arrived for the Australia v India 1st test match betting tips. The Australia v India series moves onto Test Match cricket when the nations meet in the 1st Test at the Adelaide Oval. The coin toss to signal the start of day one goes up on Thursday 6 December at midnight UK time; the Sky Sports cameras will be in attendance to ensue armchair fans don’t miss a moment of what promises to be a hard-fought few days of high-quality cricket.
If what we’ve seen from the teams in the warm-up matches is anything to go by, this will be a close-run first test; the full duration is expected to separate two rivals who go in confident. They each believe they have what it takes to land an early blow on their opponent.
As well as the match enjoying the live TV coverage for the benefit of sports fans up late desperate for their fix of international cricket, bookmakers have also done their bit to ensure you can add a touch of extra spice to the occasion with a bet at a nice price.
Take your pick, make your bet
Trawl through the markets offered and you’ll find a long list of betting opportunities covering both the 1st Test Match and Series outright. Have your say on who will prevail in the opener; or aim a bit higher and take a better price on the top Australian batsman; top Australian bowler; who will score most runs for the visitors and which player will take most wickets representing Team India.
There’s also highest opening partnership and plenty more besides. A fine example of just how in-depth traders go on this one can be seen by the fact they are offering backers the chance to bet on the winner of the coin toss. Yes, you really can wager your stake on heads or tails.
You’ll get 10/11 each of two; although it’s no way to get rich quick, it does serve as a fun bet to have before a bat has been swung in anger. It may just give an early indication as to how your luck is looking that day. Give it a try for small stakes to increase your interest in the build-up.
What’s going on at Cricket Australia
Followers of the Australian cricket team have not had their troubles to seek of late, either on or off the field of play. Goings on at board room level have been nothing short of shambolic following the ban placed on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft for ball-tampering. Despite increasing pressure from fans, critics, ex-players and even the findings of an independent review that reported Cricket Australia were partially to blame for the whole mess, the blazers refused to reduce their punishment handed to the three men.
That caused wide-spread outrage. A number of major names at CA had to stand down in the face of such fury, hoping their departure would pave the way for the team to get fans back on side. It hasn’t gone to plan as of yet; however, Earl Eddings was brought in as stand-in chairman before seeing his role made permanent earlier this week. The board spoke of their understanding of the challenging year ahead and their willingness to rebuild trust and strengthen the game.
The quickest way to winning over fans is by firstly getting back to winning cricket matches; rediscovering the kind of form that made them a giant in the sport. They had no such luck during the Twenty20 series against India, however, despite putting in a strong challenge.
What the T20 told us
Australia were hammered by South Africa in their first Twenty20 match of the summer. They lost by 21 runs in what turned out to be a thumping. That left the hosts battered and bruised. Despite improving for the visit of India on 21 November, the Aussies were again on the losing side of the draw, beaten by four runs. There wasn’t an awful lot in it that day. The home side, backed by the crowd, fired themselves back into contention with a 2nd T20 win to level things at 1-1, claiming a long overdue triumph by four runs. Tight, but it was just what the doctored ordered and the result helped heal wounds and build trust in the camp.
Their momentum was broken when the third T20 was cancelled due to the weather; however, it was India who dealt with the inconvenience better, winning the final round to take the series. It was again nip-and-tuck, but the tourists had enough to squeeze through, clinching a win by six wickets to knock the wind from the sail of their opponents.
Both teams have had over a week to recover and re-group heading into Test Match cricket. However, will the home team show signs of lasting damage? Or will they be happy to put it behind them and concentrate on the important business of winning over the longer format where their real skills lie?
How the bookies see things
Bookmakers have resisted the urge for a knee-jerk reaction; they have come down in support of Australia to win the 1st Test, pricing them as favourites. Coral offer 11/10 on them coming out on top to pull ahead but their recent performances make that bet look a touch tight.
Prefer to take the money men on? There’s lots to like about India’s price with Coral sending out an eye-catching 6/4. We must say that looks to be a bit harsh on the tourists who start with winning form behind them. They are bigger than they should be and, for that reason alone, we are happy to support them with our stake money. The draw goes 4/1.
You can avoid the winner and punt on the player you think will do enough to be named man of the match. Virat Kohli is 6/1 favourite ahead of Josh Hazlewood 7/1 and Mitchell Starc who shares that price. That market gives value for money as it offers a nice price and an interest throughout the duration of the Test.