Australia v India Second Test In-play Tips: Don't rule out India stunner

Australia v India Second Test Day Three match prediction

Australia are as short as 1.031/33 to level the series in Adelaide after they rammed home their advantage on day two. They closed with a lead of 29 after India lost five wickets under lights.

Pat Cummins and Scott Boland took two wickets apiece in favourable conditions. Earlier Travis Head had tuuned the screws on a tight contest with 140 off 141 balls. At 208 for five India looked like they were back in the hunt before Head's stellar effort.

But there is a warning for Australia in that innings. When the lights are off the pitch is good. And in Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy India have two players who have guts, confidence and ability to do something similar.

India, despite being under the pump, are hardly the worse 28.027/1 shots ever seen. Of course, that price doubles with a quick wicket but to take it you'd have to accept that the Pant-Reddy axis fires and it does so to time perfectly with sticking Autsrlia in again under lights.

A target of 170-180 could be very tricky indeed with doubts remaining about some of the Aussie batters' ability against the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah. A trade is the easiest option if India can get their price down to single figures. The draw is out of the question.

Australia v India Second Test Day Three match prediction

If backing India is not for you, then there are other options. And most of them depend on what Pant, who looks in rare touch, does.

Pant smacked Boland over his head for four from his first ball and there were three more audacious strikes and reverses. It is true that Pant could quite easily hit up one straight up in the air in the first over and makes mugs of him and us.

But Sportsbook's total four market for the hitter, who is well entrenched in one-day mode, looks the shrewder option. Pant has fit four already and overs at 7.5 is available at 10/111.91. With the way Pant is playing he could well go bang-bang-bang-bang-out in quick time. So the overs play keeps on side Australia's bowlers if we're wrong about an India comeback here.

There is a temptation to get involved on India innings runs at over 222.5 but Australia are two wickets from the tail and even Pant or Reddy blazing away on their own with the bowlers for support makes that look a stiff task.

For an in-play strategy, a quick one-two from Australia leaving one of those at the crease should warrant a cheap runs buy on the batter left over. They will not die wondering and it could make for a quick win as they cut loose.

As Pant will fly by the seat of his own, it is worth noting that he is a reliable batter to be dismissed caught in the field. It has happened 56% of the time in his Test career. Sportsbook make him 5/61.84 to be caught in the field, which includes the slips but not the wicketkeeper.

Technically, and given the match situation, it should be slightly skinnier 5/61.84 is implied probability of 54.5% and Pant is having a go. And Australia may well look to set traps on the hook and third man.

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