It is an Australian sporting institution, and with the Sydney to Hobart cancelled this year, all focus will be on the Boxing Day Test.
India had Australia on the ropes after the first innings in Adelaide, but they suffered one of the worst falls from grace in Test cricket history to lose the match within just three days.
To add insult to injury, they will be without inspirational captain Virat Kohli in Melbourne, and India has drifted to odds of $5.50 in Boxing Day Test betting.
Australia, full of confidence after their historic win, have been understandably popular in the market and are now rated $1.36 favourites.
You can find a brief preview of both teams, the match, and all of our 2020 Boxing Day Test tips below.
Australia
When Mitchell Starc ripped through Prithvi Shaw with just the second ball of the opening test, things looked bright for Australia in Adelaide.
Decent innings’ from the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the Indian ship however, and they managed to tough it out for a respectable 244. With Australia then only managing to limp to 191 with the bat, things appeared to be virtually impossible for Tim Paine’s men.
Enter the world’s best bowling attack in the second innings, spearheaded by Josh Hazlewood and simply incredible figures of 5/8 off just five overs. They held India to their worst ever score in Test cricket and just the second time in the history of the sport that not one player managed to climb into double-figures.
Australia are justifiable favourites to win the Boxing Day test and the $1.36 available at publish looks to be about the right price.
India
Prospects were bright for India ahead of this four-test series, and the feeling in camp must have been good on the way back to the hotel after Day 2 in Adelaide.
To say that they barely fired a shot on Day 3 is probably a massive understatement, but the opportunity to learn from such major mistakes can also be extremely beneficial for a side of their calibre, and I am intrigued to see what they do under the leadership of Rahane in Melbourne.
There’s obviously no way that they will return a performance as poor as they did in the second innings in Melbourne – it was a massive capitulation or the rarest variety. While I am confident they’ll be far better for far longer, I also believe that they face too great of a task in reversing the result, particularly without Kohli.
Boxing Day Test Betting & Tips
Australia have consolidated their position at the top of the world test rankings, and they will start clear favourites in 2020 Boxing Day Test betting.
I am extremely confident that they will win again, but there isn’t much value left in this short quote, and I am eager to dig deeper into the Boxing Day Test markets to find where that is.
No player reached triple figures in Adelaide, but returning to Victoria and red ball cricket, that will almost certainly change.
Marnus Labuschagne looked to be in and settled before he was dismissed in the first innings for 47, and I’m confident he will take plenty of improvement for that effort.
For India, the pressure will be on literally every batsman, but I am confident that Rahane will relish his roll as captain, and I am happy to take the value for him in India Top Runscorer betting ($4.33).
I thought that Josh Hazlewood might have been a little stiff not to win Man of the Match in Adelaide, and while I do think the honour will fall to a bowler in Melbourne, I think that it will be Nathan Lyon.
Lyon chimed in with two wickets in the first innings in Adelaide and given the dominance of the pace trio, didn’t get a bowl in the second. He will relish playing in Melbourne and with a red ball, and he is available at odds of $17 in Man of the Match betting.
Tips:
- Marnus Labuschagne Australia Top Runscorer (1st Innings) @ $4
- Ajinkya Rahane India Top Runscorer (1st Innings) @ $4.33
- Nathan Lyon to be named Man of the Match @ $17