India expected to continue winning ways

The ongoing series between India and Australia has contained enough ebb and flow for a full five-Test series, and we are only two matches down out of four. After a stunning victory in the opening Test at Pune, Australia's underdogs were brought back down to earth by Virat Kohli's India in Bangalore, but not before setting them another seriously stiff test of their fighting abilities.

And now the series moves onto Ranchi, with the scoreline locked at 1-1 but the momentum, imperceptibly, shifting back to the hosts. That much is apparent from the pre-match odds with Bet365, who reckon India are now 4/7 to complete a series win in the four-match rubber, with Australia a more distant 5/1. Even the draw, at 11/4, doesn't hold out much hope for the visitors.

An interesting indication of where the match may be won and lost comes from the market for Man of the Match. Despite the stunning heroics of Steve O'Keefe in the first Test and Nathan Lyon in the second, it is India's spin twins, R Ashwin (4/1) and Ravi Jadeja (7/1) who are deemed the likelier bowlers to claim the spoils, with Kohli (9/2) strongly backed to bounce back from his relative form blip and produce a show-stealing performance with the bat.

It doesn't help Australia's cause, of course, that two of their key players from the first two Tests, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh, have been ruled out of the rest of the series with injury. Marcus Stoinis and Pat Cummins have been drafted into the squad as replacements, but the upheaval places ever more importance on Australia's senior batsmen putting enough runs on the board to help their bowlers compete.

hitting best form, with Ashwin's offspin causing him a few technical concerns. But at 13/5 apiece, both men are strongly backed to be Australia's best bet of putting the Bangalore defeat behind them.