All change as India collapse

Sri Lanka made batting look ridiculously easy in Colombo but India's poor effort on Friday showed that it owed more to talent than a benign pitch. The home side, totally in command and with two days to play, are now even money to snatch the win.

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When play began on Friday morning, the draw was hugely odds-on, thanks to a rain-hit opening day and then Sri Lanka's batting heroics on day two.

But after Sri Lanka extended their total to the 600 mark, India stumbled to 159-6 and they are now an enormous 100/1 for victory, while the draw has drifted right out to 8/11.

India will hope to extend their first innings for as long as possible on the fourth morning, and with VVS Laxman at the crease, they at least have one batsman capable of ticking the scoreboard over. Bet365 are quite generous in their opinion of him and the India tail, making them 5/6 to get to 261 or more, which would be a pretty good effort.

Laxman himself is 5/6 to get from 19 to 53 or more, while captain Anil Kumble, who can frustrate any attack when he is in the mood, is the same price to lift his score from one overnight to 19 or better.

For the record, it is 15 years since India last won a Test series in Sri Lanka and the last time the two teams met on Sri Lankan soil, they lost 2-1. The wiles of Muttiah Muralitharan are always a threat and this time they will have to cope with a new spin sensation, Ajantha Mendis, who took 6 for 13 against them in the Asia Cup final.

That. though, was a one-day series and India are becoming a real force again in Test cricket, and their form on their travels has been what's lifted their status. They have always been sensational at home, but they have now won six of their past nine Test series on tour, including a victory in England last summer.

Their settled batting line-up, led, as always by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, will be solid, while their bowling is perhaps their weakness, though Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh remain big dangers, particularly on dusty pitches.

The closeness of the series is reflected in the betting, with a 1-0 win for India, a 1-0 win for Sri Lanka and a 1-1 draw all 4/1 chances. A 0-0 draw is next at 13/2, while if you fancy a whitewash, you can get 33/1 against a Sri Lanka 3-0 win and 20/1 that India complete a clean sweep.

I can see these two sides snuffing each other out and a drawn series is a tempting bet, at 11/5.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.