Advantage Inzamam but Sachin still focused

After falling for 94 in the first Test at Mohali, Sachin Tendulkar will once again take centre stage this week, as he attempts to move ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and set the individual world record for the most Test centuries. Gavaskar twice made scores in the 90s after completing his 34th and final century, but after his assured display at Mohali, few would bet against Sachin surpassing his fellow Indian great. This is recognised in the odds bet365 are offering - Tendulkar is only 3/1 to top-score for his team and is 15/2 joint-favourite to be Man of the Match.

Another inspired batting display by Inzamam-ul-Haq confirmed that Pakistan's captain is in quite superb form at the moment. He led from the front throughout the first encounter between the two teams and his partnerships with Yousuf Youhana and Asim Kamal laid the foundations for Pakistan's rearguard action on days four & five of the first Test. Once again, he is tipped to outperform his team-mates with the bat and it would be no surprise to see him playing a key role in any Pakistani triumph.

However, it was Kamran Akmal who, quite rightly, took the plaudits at Mohali. To score your first Test century in such a high-pressure situation shows a rare temperament. On the other hand, to repeat such a performance in the following match will be a challenging task and it is for this reason that bet365 are offering generous odds on Akmal dominating the Indian bowlers once more - he is listed at 14/1 to top his team's batting and 28/1 to be Man of the Match.

bet365 odds
Sachin Tendulkar: Top Team Batsman 3/1 | Man of the Match 15/2
Inzamam-ul-Haq: Top Team Batsman 7/2 | Man of the Match 11/1
Kamran Akmal: Top Team Batsman 14/1 | Man of the Match 28/1

India will be faced with a difficult choice in selecting their team for Kolkata. While their batting line-up virtually picks itself, there was much debate around the first Test as to their decision to play Zaheer Khan ahead of Harbhajan Singh. While it is rumoured that the pitch at Eden Gardens is likely to be green - and therefore a help to the seamers - Harbhajan has an astonishing record at the ground and will be pushing for a recall. Having taken 29 wickets at 18.75 in only four matches at the ground, he would be an interesting candidate for the Man of the Match - and bet365's odds of 8/1 acknowledge this.

However, if the pitch does turn out to be receptive to Harbhajan's spin, then Danish Kaneria will also be looking to further enhance his burgeoning reputation in the second Test. He carries a heavy workload for Pakistan - he bowled nearly 60 overs at Mohali alone - and he will expect to be in the wickets once more. In fact, his battle with India's formidable top order could prove to be crucial to the eventual outcome of the Test Match and odds of 9/1 on Kaneria taking the Man-of-the-Match award look to have value.