Australia and India will renew hostilities in Adeliade on Thursday morning after the hosts won the rain-affected series opener in Perth.
I’d be prepared to cut India some slack for that defeat, owing to the fact rain continually interrupted their batting innings after they were put in under gloomy, dank skies.
Moreover, it’s fair to expect the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to improve for the run given Sunday was their first taste of international cricket for some time.
I thought there were some encouraging signs from their middle and lower order, with KL Rahul again looking in superb touch and Nitish Reddy producing a rapid cameo from number eight. India clearly bat deep.
For Australia's part, they have had numerous injuries to contend with as they prepare for the Ashes, but captain Mitchell Marsh is red-hot right now and again looked in fine form for his 46 not out the weekend.
There’s plenty of batting power there, namely from the likes of Travis Head and Matthew Short, for whom this is a home match, and I wonder if the in-form Marnus Labuschagne will get a game at some stage.
There are clearly runs in both sides and with the firm belief that India will get better as the tour progresses, I’m keen back runs in Adelaide, with BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 275+ RUNS and BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 300+ RUNS advised.
Fans of the Big Bash will know only too well just what a good place for batting Adelaide is and, thankfully, the weather forecast for Thursday is for better after some rain earlier in the week.
I’m always a little wary of calling conditions early in the season, but the ongoing Marsh Cup offers evidence that this surface is playing well, with Western Australia scoring 298-9 here last month.
India enjoy playing in Adelaide and though coming back in 2019, India’s last ODI on this ground saw them beat Australia by six wickets when chasing down 299 with relative ease – Kohli putting together a brilliant hundred.
I’m happy to bet on an improved Indian performance on Thursday, with runs for both sides the order of the day.
Preview published at 1640 BST on 20/10/25
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