South Africa on course for 3-0 whitewash?

Despite showing a competitive spirit in both of the first two Tests, and occasionally setting the agenda with both bat and ball, the market has lost faith in the ability of Virat Kohli's India to avoid a whitewash when the third Test against South Africa starts in Johannesburg this week.

According to Bet365, India are a distant 6/1 in a two-horse race to win the Test and secure a 2-1 series defeat, compared to South Africa's odds of 8/11. The draw is 2/1, although given the strength and incision of both team's bowling attacks, not to mention the Wanderers' reputation for pace and bounce, all the signs point to a positive outcome one way or another.

The identity of the Man of the Match is also deemed to be a bit of a two-horse race, certainly where the team's star batsmen are concerned. AB de Villiers, who made a crucial 80 to shore up South Africa's advantage at Centurion, is 6/1 to pick up the match honours, just ahead of Kohl at 7/1, in the wake of his brilliant first-innings hundred in the same game.

The difference between the teams on that occasion turned out to be South Africa's fast bowling, and that's where the value may lie in the pre-match stakes. Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rababa are both 11/1 to be the Man of the Match, while the new pace sensation, Lungi Ndigi, is lurking down the field at 18/1. Perhaps it's asking too much to expect him to back up his six-wicket debut haul in the last game, but he certainly looked classy in that outing.