India and Australia set for close series

The non-stop calendar of international cricket means it's been a relentless year for Ricky Ponting's team - and one that has provided regular opportunities for spread punters to test their wares across all forms of the game.

Australia's five day form has not always been vintage stuff during 2009, with the troubled memory of Ashes defeat to England sure to live long not just in the minds of spread punters who sold their series index in the summer.

While they sit fourth in the ICC Test rankings, their one day form has been far better. They were one away from whitewashing the Three Lions in the seven-game ODI series straight after the main event.

This was followed-up by lifting the Champions Trophy at the start of the month - a feat that sees them top of the pile in the ODI rankings and made them popular with spread buyers of their supremacy in fixtures through the tournament.

Now in Asia, the world-leaders are facing second-placed India in another seven-game ODI battle. Their victory in the opening game would have encouraged buyers of their match supremacy spread and was their 39th victory in the country from 64 ODI games.

The Baggy Green's skipper 'Punter' Ponting has been in good nick through the year in both the 50-over and full-length game. Spread buyers of his performance spread for this game will see that he got the series off to a good start with a 74-run stand that saw him become the first man past the 1,000-run mark for the year.

Spread buyers of Australia's 50-ups spread were also rewarded and will remember Ponting's knock of 126 from 109 balls against England in September - the 14th highest by any player in an ODI this year - one of seven half-centuries in 2009.

Mike Hussey is another to have scored consistently. His 73 from 54 balls helped accelerate the run-rate in the first match and was his ninth 50 of 2009 from 26 innings. At slightly better than one in three, he's another to have regularly rewarded buyers of his performance spread and his side's 50-ups.

If the rest of the series is as close as that first match then both spectators and spread bettors will be in for a treat. Gautam Gambhir top-scored for India in that one and buyers of his performance spread this time will be hoping for more of the same from a batsmen who averages just under 40 in ODIs, but comfortably over 50 for the Test side.

His wicket-keeping captain MS Dhoni was recently named ODI player of the year by the ICC and is sure to attract a lot of attention among Sporting Index's cricket traders. A 2009-average of slightly below 70 with the bat means he's comfortably got the highest ODI mean of any man to have played over 10 innings in the calendar year and shows why he took the prize.

The gloveman's career average is teetering around the 50-mark and spread sellers of his performance will hope that he doesn't see the decade out in this same ominous form.