Commonwealth Bank Series 8th ODI: India v Sri Lanka Odds and Betting Preview

Story by George Coombs on 2012-02-21 00:30:11

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – Sri Lanka face India in the 8th One Day International of the Commonwealth Bank Series at the Gabba on Tuesday and Sri Lanka carry all the momentum heading into this crucial game. The Sri Lankans have improved their cricket with every game and following a slow start to the tournament they have hit their stride and thrashed hosts Australia by eight wickets in their last game. India by contrast were woeful in defeat against Australia on Sunday and need to bounce back strongly to avoid another battering here.

Sri Lanka are the form team in the tournament at present and it is surprising to see them priced up at 11/10 with Betfred while India are quoted as the 4/5 favourites with bet365 and BetVictor. India are forced to play this game without their inspirational skipper MS Dhoni who has been handed a second suspension of the year following India’s poor over rate against Australia.

India’s selection panel will have a tough time selecting the side for today’s game following their mauling by Australia on Sunday. MS Dhoni will be a big loss as he has deliver much needed runs down the order and it remains to be seen whether vice-captain Virender Sehwag will skipper the side in Brisbane as he has missed the last two games with back spasms. The selectors will also have to decide whether they will continue with the rotation policy at the top of the order that has seen two of Sehwag, Gambhir or Tendulkar selected. The race for a place in the series final is very tight and the Indians need their experienced players to contribute with runs. Parthiv Patel will come into the side to take over from Dhoni behind the stumps and he is also capable of opening the batting which could answer some of India’s problems in this area.

Sri Lanka lost their two opening games by small margins before they recorded a tie in their last meeting with today’s opposition. Mahela Jayawardene then led the team to a convincing victory over Australia, dismissing the home side for only 158 runs in Sydney. The new captain has been backed up by a bowling unit containing variation and pace that have caused problems to the Indian batsmen in the conditions Down-Under.

Sachin Tendulkar has been installed as the 15/4 favourite with bet365 in the Top India Batsman market but following a shin injury against Australia there is still some doubt as to whether he will take to the field on Tuesday. Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Virender Sehwag are all quoted at 4/1 with Ladbrokes and Kohli established himself a bright talent by scoring more ODI runs than anyone else in 2011 but has failed to make a big score in this series. Rohit Sharma is a 6/1 chance with Blue Square while Suresh Raina is a 7/1 shot with Stan James and the pair will be called upon if the top order once again fail to build on any starts they make. The new man behind the stumps Parthiv Patel is a standout 8/1 chance to top score on his return to the side.

In the Top Sri Lanka Batsman betting, Kumar Sangakkara is the general 7/2 market leader with most firms. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene are both priced up at 4/1 with Stan James and following the success Jayawardene had at the top of the order against Australia he should partner Dinesh Chandimal once more. Chandimal is an industry best price of 5/1 with BetVictor while Lahiru Thirimanne is available at 8/1 with a number of firms today.

India’s bowling combination did not work on Sunday and following the success of Australia’s Xavier Docherty will the ball Ashwin is set to return today. He is quoted at odds of 7/2 with Blue Square alongside Praveen Kumar in the Top India Bowler betting. The most prominent player in this market is the experienced Zaheer Khan who has picked up four wickets in the entire series to date. Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar are both available at 4/1 with bet365 but one pace bowler looks set to be dropped on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka will keep the same bowling attack that worked so well in their last game and Lasith Malinga heads the Top Sri Lanka Bowler betting at 9/4 with Blue Square. Nuwan Kulasekara should take the new ball alongside Malinga and he can be backed at 9/2 with bet365. Rangana Herath is also a 9/2 chance with the same firm while Thisara Perera completed the line-up against Australia and is a massive 5/1 with Blue Square here. 

Play begins at 03.20 GMT on Tuesday 21st February and all the action is broadcast live on Sky Sports 2.

India v Sri Lanka – Match Result Odds
India v Sri Lanka – Top India Batsman Odds
India v Sri Lanka – Top Sri Lanka Batsman Odds
India v Sri Lanka – Top India Bowler Betting
India v Sri Lanka – Top Sri Lanka Bowler Betting