India look unstoppable in Kanpur

No one-day match is a guaranteed win for any side, regardless of the difference in abilities. But with England all over the place and India on a roll, the third one-day international between the two sides looks every bit like being another win for the home side.

The evidence of the first two matches in the seven-game series - both won by India - is that the hosts have a settled squad, playing good cricket under an excellent captain, while England look like fish out of water in the one-day game.

Aside from the balance of their side, which still looks wrong even if Graeme Swann will improve it when he comes in, England still seem to think it's good enough to make a slow start when batting and then build a score. It isn't.

If India bat first again in Kanpur, on what is rumoured to be another good batting track, then I fear for England's chances as quite simply, they are awful at chasing big totals, and their bowlers don't look capable of restricting India's batsmen, if they are on song.

India have won seven and lost three of their 10 one-dayers in Kanpur, beating England twice along the way, and bet365 go 4/11 on another India win, while England are 2/1.

If England are to win, then they will need someone to make a big score, with the obvious one being captain Kevin Pietersen, who heads the England betting at 3/1. Ian Bell is 4/1 and Owais Shah and Alastair Cook are each 9/2. Matt Prior is 6/1 and Andrew Flintoff, who looks in good touch, is 13/2, while Paul Collingwood is 8/1.

For India, Virender Sehwag holds favouritism at 3/1, just ahead of the in-form Gautam Gambhir, at 10/3, who is playing the best cricket of his life. Yuvraj Singh, on the back of two successive centuries, is 4/1.

Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and MS Dhoni are all 11/2 and any of them could end up on top, but if India's top three maintain their recent form, you have to think one of them will edge the rest out of it.

At 4/11, India are not great value, but at 8/13 to have the better opening partnership, they should deliver. Take that, and enjoy the show.