It’s time for the India v Australia 5th ODI betting tips. We have arrived at the fifth and final One Day International match of the series when India and Australia put the finishing touches to what has been an enjoyable contest on Wednesday morning. The Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi provides the setting and armchair fans can follow the play live, the coin toss expected around 8.00am GMT.
If this series has taught us anything so far it’s that there’s very little between the sides and both nations will be confident in their ability to sign-off with a win before turning their attentions to the upcoming World Cup in England. India start against New Zealand at the Oval on 25 May and Australia take on the hosts in Southampton on the same day.
Plenty to Play For
It may be the final leg of the ODI series but there’s still plenty to play for and enough life left in the battle to ensure supporters get a match worth watching. The scores are locked at 2-2 heading into the midweek decider, India winning the first two before Australia fired back to win the next couple to move level. Who will hold their nerve and claim the series victory?
That’s a question worth finding out the answer to as the pre-match betting odds remain competitive and picking your side wisely could result in a pay-out from the bookmakers. Have your say on which team will win the match and the series outright, or play one of the many specials on offer, designed to hold your interest throughout play. There’s top India batsman, top Australia run scorer, top India bowler, top Australia wicket taker, and a load more besides.
Let’s take a closer look at how both teams have performed so far in what has been a series of two halves, before looking at how odds makers expect Wednesday’s match to play out.
Fast Start From the Hosts
The hosts exploded out of the traps to take a 2-0 series lead and followers expected them to kick-on from there and claim victory at a canter. They made the ideal start when stamping out Australian hopes in the opener with a six wickets success that was fully deserved, the scoreboard reading 240-4 (48.2) against the 236-7 (50.0) of their opponents.
India were able to build on that when doubling up in the second match played on Tuesday 5 March, this time doing the business by eight runs, India 250 all out (48.2) v 242 all out (49.3). The second was a far more competitive clash and it looked for long periods like Oz would fire themselves back level, but they fell apart down the home-straight and knew they only had themselves to blame for the result. Disappointing for the tourists who are capable of better, but the signs were there for those keeping a close eye on the progress.
Back in the Mix
Australia finally got off the mark when claiming the win their play deserved at the third time of asking and they took the 3rd ODI by a stunning 32 runs when winning 313-5 (50.0) against 281 all out (48.2). The kind of performance we are used to seeing from the Aussies and one they had denied supporters for too long. It can’t be argued that, despite their on-going off-field troubles, Australia are a talented side when in the mood and more than a match for anyone in world cricket over any format of the game. The win seemed to boost confidence and there was more of the same to come.
With their tails up the visitors banked the fourth instalment to level things at 2-2 on Sunday morning, setting up a thrilling climax thanks to a four wickets cheer, Australia 359-6 (47.5) against India’s 358-9 (50.0). It’s clear to see from the numbers that Oz are improving with the passing of every match and it looks like they might just have timed their assault to perfection. They will prepare for Wednesday’s match knowing anything nearing a repeat performance of Sunday’s effort will see them go mighty close to upsetting their hosts and silencing the majority of the crowd in attendance.
Home Win Favourite
Despite Australia’s recent form we find bookmakers strongly oppose them in the 5th ODI, making India hot favourites for the 3-2 victory. Backers of the locals will find the home win with an 8/15 price attached, and that may just surprise a few. They do have the advantage of being the local side, but have they been playing like an 8/15 jolly in their last few? We certainly wouldn’t say so and there’s not enough in that quote to catch our attention.
We’d much prefer a bet on Australia completing the hat-trick and winning their third game of the series on the bounce. They were competitive in defeat but eliminated the mistakes in their game and were sublime when winning their last two, putting some big numbers up on the board in the process. Coral traders offer 6/4 and in what’s sure to be a hard-fought contest, we’d much rather have the better price and enjoy the show.
We wouldn’t blame anyone for preferring to avoid picking a winner and, instead, playing the specials. The top India batsman market has Ambati Rayudu at 8/1 and we think there’s enough value in that price to merit a play at interest stakes. A couple more fancied players in the betting are Rohit Sharma at 11/4 and Lokesh Rahul at 5/1. Top Australian batsman has Glenn Maxwell as a good bet at 6/1 as he has been one of his team’s better performers. He’s led by Aaron Finch at 10/3 and Darcy Short’s 9/2, quotes taken from the Coral website.