India set to wrap up series win

Having wrapped up the first Test, India would have been pretty confident of going on to win the series against Pakistan - their first home win against them since 1979/80 - even before an injury crisis left Pakistan's bowling attack looking a shambles.

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Shoaib Malik's side, who let India off the hook a bit in the first Test, could have only three fully fit bowlers going into the second Test, which starts in Kolkata on Friday, and India are primed to take advantage.

Umar Gul is out and Pakistan will have to decide whether to risk Shoaib Akhtar, who has been struggling with breathing problems, but even if he plays, he is very unlikely to be anywhere near full strength. That leaves them woefully short, with new boy Sohail Tanvir leading the attack, backed up by Danish Kaneria and Abdur Rehman.

Considering that India's greatest strength - with respect to Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh - is their batting, that spells trouble for Pakistan and bet365 make them 4/1 to get the win they need to level the series. India are 23/20 while the draw is 11/8 - shorter than usual because they don't really need to win.

India have lost just once in five Tests in Kolkata and though three of the matches were drawn, they will take heart from the fact that they won the last match there, in 2004/05, when Kumble took ten wickets in the match - seven in the second innings - to clinch victory.

Rahul Dravid, who looked in good nick in Delhi despite a lengthy absence from the side as they played one-day and Twenty20 cricket, hit two centuries in that 2004/05 win, so it's no surprise to see him alongside Sachin Tendulkar as joint favourite to be India's top runscorer in the first innings.

The two great batsmen are together at 10/3, leaving a big gap to VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Wasim Jaffer, who are all 11/2. Dinesh Karthik and Yuvraj Singh - who could come into the side but is likely to be left out again - are both 6/1, while MS Dhoni, who has recovered from an ankle problem, is 8/1.

If Pakistan are going to compete, you feel they have to amass a big total so much will depend, as always these days, on the efforts of Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. Yousuf is favourite at 11/4, to Younis's 10/3. Yasir Hameed and Salman Butt are both 5/1 while Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq, who impressed in Delhi, are both 6/1.

Having successfully tipped Kumble to be man of the match in Delhi, it really wouldn't surprise me if he made it two out of two. The new captain looks in great form and as I said, took ten wickets when India last won in Kolkata in 2004/2005. The 7/1 is a reasonable price.

But though they don't have to win, I think India will try to be ruthless and win this one as soon as they can, so bet365's 23/20 is a very generous price.

Cambers' Call
India to beat Pakistan in 2nd Test - 23/20 bet365

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.