Odds unmoved by England's strong start to series

Perhaps the bookies have been too busy ogling Australia's stunning meltdowns in Perth and Hobart, for it's fair to say that England's improbably strong showing in the first Test at Rajkot hasn't shifted many preconceptions about the eventual outcome of their series against India.

The 5-0 whitewash may now be out of the question, but India remain 1/5 favourites with Bet365 to seal the series victory. England, at 17/2 in what is now a four-match shootout (they were 11/1 this time last week) remain a tempting option given the success of both their batsmen and spin bowlers in the series opener.

On that note, the market for Man of the Match at Visakhapatnam throws up some interesting odds. Adil Rashid swiped the spoils at Rajkot with his haul of seven wickets, and he is 12/1 to repeat that feat - not a bad shout if he can bounce to the crease with the same verve that he displayed in the series opener.

And what about Alastair Cook? He was pretty horribly out of form in the early weeks of the tour, including in both Tests against Bangladesh, but bounced back with his fourth hundred in his last five Tests in India - a remarkable record by any standards, and as Cook has proven in the past, once he rediscovers his taste for runs, there's often no stopping him. He is 3/1 to be England's top run-scorer - not much value there - but a tastier 11/1 to inherit Rashid's man-of-the-match mantle.

The market for India's leading bowler is much the same as that for the series win. Despite being largely outbowled by their English counterparts at Rajkot, the bookies don't doubt that India's spinners, R Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja, will bounce back on what is expected to be a spicier surface in the second Test. They are 6/4 and 5/2 respectively to be India's leading wicket-taker. For a bit of value, keep an eye on Umesh Yadav at 6/1. He was the pick of their seamers at Rajkot.