ODI preview / Ed Hawkins / 04 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Another Australian has fallen by the wayside on the one-day tour of India and the home side should be capable of taking advantage in Hyderabad on Wednesday, says Ed Hawkins

If the seven match one-day series between India and Australia was a boxing contest it would be a bloody and barely believable affair. The heavyweight favourite had his opponent tangled hopelessly in the ropes and was ready to land the killer blow before being caught unaware by a jaw juddering counter.

And so the two sides go toe to toe once more in Hyderabad on Wednesday with the series level at 2-2 after a wounded and punchy Australia hit back in surprising style in Mohali. They are [2.38] to land another knockout blow with the hosts [1.71].

Alas, just as in boxing, surprising turnarounds in 50-over international series happen all too rarely and if Australia were to win at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Uppal, it would not quite be on a par with the Thrilla' in Manilla but the 'Knock 'em Bandi at the Gandhi' has a certain ring to it.

So why this predilection for writing off Australia? Simply because their bowling resources have been ravaged. With Brett Lee, James Hopes and Nathan Bracken with their feet up at home and Peter Siddle sat on a plane to do likewise, Australia are cut badly and they are unlikely to stop the bleeding.

Siddle has a side strain and has left the tour merely as a precaution. But it leaves Australia awfully weak. Siddle took the new ball with Mitchell Johnson, who, by the way, is playing in spite of a foot injury, and in the absence of the Victorian one from Doug Bollinger, Clint McKay (zero ODIs) or Moises Henriques (two) will have to step up.

That could be a winning combination in Hyderabad but a more complex mind map is required to plan a route for a series victory. They are exhausted after five months of almost continuous cricket and one can be sure that there are other niggles in the camp which they are keeping quiet about.

India look to be a very generous [1.68] for a series victory and their strength (physical and mental) should be worth at least two wins in the final three matches in Hyderabad, Guwahati (India have won five from eight there) and Mumbai. Readers who know their geography will spot that after Hyderabad, the BCCI have cannily, and cruelly, sent the Aussies to the north east of the country for the penultimate match before making them trek all the way back to Mumbai on the west coast.

Besides, India rarely lose home series in this form of the game. Granted Australia were the last side to win there in 2007 but that is India's only defeat in their last eight. There is even a trend which suggests level pegging at this juncture is normal. In two of their last three series, India have been level before going on to win, the one exception being a pathetic England outfit who could not equalise a shelving unit on their disastrous last year.

As for the match in Hyderabad, punters should expect runs from the willow of Yuvraj Singh. He is as big as [6.00] for top India runscorer and he ticks all the boxes for a confident bet in such a category. Only when a batsman has current form, ground form and form against an opponent should bettors get really excited about a wager in such a market. But Yuvraj gets the pulse racing. His 78 in Delhi was match-winning and sets him up nicely for another tilt at a venue where he has had great success.

The left-hander has 224 runs in two innings at the stadium and, crucially, 121 of those came against Australia in 2007. Australia won that game by 47 runs when they had better, not to mention fitter, bowlers. They may not run out of puff tomorrow but come the last game in Mumbai, they should be letting out an exhausted sigh of relief that an arduous schedule is almost over.

Tags: 4th ODI betting, Australia injuries, Australia ODI betting, India ODI betting, India v Australia betting, Yuvraj Singh