Sachin eyes record 35th century

Although great hype has surrounded many aspects of the forthcoming India-Pakistan series, all eyes will be on the fit-again Sachin Tendulkar as he looks to break the record he currently shares with Sunil Gavaskar, by scoring his 35th Test century. So often it is those cricketers with a point to prove who perform best - and the bet365 odds mirror this: Tendulkar is 3/1 favourite to topscore for his team, and a generous 7/1 to take the Man of the Match award.

The Indian top order is typically strong, though, and there are a number who could take the honours at Mohali. A good bet is Virender Sehwag, whose destructive opening style has proved particularly effective against Pakistan historically. Sehwag averages 109.50 in his three matches against India's great rivals to date, including a spectacular 309 at Multan in 2004.

Younis Khan, having been recently appointed the vice-captain of Pakistan, will also be out for a big performance. With criticism of his form coming from some Pakistan supporters, a good performance against India will be crucial to win over the fans. Similarly, this will be another big tour for Inzamam, who showed his class with some excellent performances in the VB Series in Australia. He will aim to lead from the front with his batting and bet365 rates him at 7/2 to be his team's top-scorer this Test.

bet365 odds
Sachin Tendulkar - Top Team Batsman: 3/1 / Man of the Match: 7/1

Virender Sehwag - Top Team Batsman: 4/1 / Man of the Match: 10/1

Inzamam-Ul-Haq - Top Team Batsman: 7/2 / Man of the Match: 11/1

Younis Khan - Top Team Batsman: 5/1 / Man of the Match: 18/1

Having beaten Pakistan at home last year, India start this meeting as firm favourites with bet365, who offer 4/6 on India winning the series outright. However, Pakistan will have learned a lot from their difficult tour of Australia and have been building a team with an eye on the future. If their typically mercurial players can gel and perform to their peak against India, an upset may well be on the cards, starting with a win in the first Test at Mohali.

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