India 9/1 outsiders ahead of Adelaide Test

After their impressive performance at Brisbane, India's odds have shortened to 9/1 to win the second Test. Australia remain firm favourites at 8/15, and the draw is 7/4.

Eleven of the last 12 Tests played at the Adelaide Oval have produced a result. But as with the first Test, the weather forecast is slightly unsettled - showers are predicted on Friday.

First Innings - Top Team Batsman
A batsman's paradise is on the cards at what is traditionally Australia's best batting track. Australia's batsmen could be expected to cash in again, and the first-Test centurion Justin Langer - tipped by this column as a good Top Team Batsman bet - remains good value at 4/1. Matthew Hayden was at his destructive best in the second innings, when he hammered 99, and is 3/1 here. Adam Gilchrist is an attractive 8/1, but again the winner in this market should come from the top order.

For India, Sachin Tendulkar is, as usual, 9/4 favourite to top-score in the first innings in spite of - or possibly because of - his first-Test duck. Skipper Sourav Ganguly led from the front in that match, top-scoring with a wonderful 144, but he remains 5/1 behind Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid (4/1).

Series Betting
After the drawn first Test, Australia are 1/8 to win the series, and India have come in to 12/1. With three matches left, a drawn series is 6/1.