Omens point to India win in Delhi

India and Pakistan kicked off their three-Test series in Delhi on Thursday and the home side should be pretty confident of forging ahead. Not only do they have the more experienced side, but they have also won the last six Tests to have been played there.

Click here to bet on India v Pakistan at bet365

Bet365 make India 5/4 to begin the series with a win, while the draw - always pretty likely on the sub-continent - is the same price and Pakistan are 7/2.

India have won nine, lost six and drawn 13 of the Tests to have been played in Delhi but they haven't tasted defeat on the ground since 1987/88 - and that was to the all-conquering West Indies.

Given India's superb record here, they warrant favouritism but though Pakistan have lost the experience of Inzamam, they are always a threat due to their sheer talent.

The problem for them, I feel, is going to be bowling India out twice to claim a win. Shoaib Akhtar is good but injury prone and a little rusty, and though Danish Kaneria is excellent, the rest of the bowlers are pretty non-descript.

India have injuries to Sreesanth and RP Singh so will have to rely heavily on their spin attack, which could even be three-fold, with Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik joining new captain Anil Kumble.

Kumble has not played international cricket for a few months, but if there is one place he is going to bowl well, then Delhi is it. In five Tests on the ground, India have won all five, with his wicket-haul reading 48, including one ten-wicket innings in 1999. At 8/1 to be man of the match, he is a tempting bet.

Usual suspects
The usual suspects dominate the batting markets. Sachin Tendulkar, as ever, is favourite to be India's top runscorer in the first innings. The little master has been in excellent form of late in one-day cricket and bet365 make him 3/1 to come out on top.

Another former captain, Rahul Dravid, is next at 10/3, then it's Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman at 11/2 and Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik at 6/1.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Yousuf is favourite at 9/5, having averaged 91 in his past 10 Tests, while Younis Khan, who is right on his heels in terms of ability, is 11/4. Captain Shoaib Malik is 9/2, while Salman Butt is 5/1, with Yasir Hameed 13/2.

Matches between these two are always hard-fought and there are often surprises but though Pakistan have talent, they are lacking in experience. India will want to create some momentum by winning the match, and they should just be about be able to.

Cambers' Call:
India to win first Test v Pakistan - 5/4 bet365
Anil Kumble to be man of the match in 1st Test - 8/1 bet365

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