India on track after opener

India produced a solid performance in the first one-day international on Wednesday to take the lead in the five-game series. The next match is in Colombo on Saturday and the signs are already ominous for Sri Lanka.

It is a worrying sign for Sri Lanka that Sanath Jayasuriya scores a stunning century and yet they only make 246 and promptly lose the match.

Their other batsmen - in particular captain Mahela Jayawardene - need to find form and find it fast if they are not to let this series slip away, just as they did a year ago when India already had the series wrapped up going into the final match.

From India's point of view, they won easily without any help from Sachin Tendulkar, who was dismissed cheaply. When he gets in the runs, then India will be even more difficult to beat.

While Sri Lanka have been struggling for form in one-day cricket of late, India are coming off a 5-0 thrashing of England last time out, and, like we said, also having won the last time the two sides met in Sri Lanka in 2008.

In total, the two teams have met 40 times in one-day internationals in Sri Lanka since 1985 - perhaps not as many times as you might have thought - with the home side winning 21 of them and losing just 13.

The next three matches are all at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and India are now 4/6 to double their lead, while Sri Lanka are 11/10 to win it and level the match.

Kumar Sangakkara and Jayasuriya are joint favourites at 3/1 to top-score for the home side, just ahead of Tillekeratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga at 4/1, with Jayawardene 5/1.

For India, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are favourites at 3/1, with Tendulkar 10/3. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina are each 9/2, while MS Dhoni is on offer at 5/1.

I see no reason why India won't win this one as well, and since they are no shorter than they were for the first game, it's a price worth taking.

For the record, India are now 2/7 to win the series, with Sri Lanka 5/2. And if you fancy the Indians to complete a whitewash, then you can get just 5/1 on it ending 5-0.