Who'll be the stars of the show?

If previous series between India and Pakistan are anything to go on, then we should expect some of the finest batting Test cricket has to offer, with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan all looking in great touch.

Such is India's confidence that they felt comfortable leaving Virender Sehwag out of their squad for the first two matches. On recent form, that's fair enough, but Sehwag averages a massive 91 against Pakistan and you can bet that they will be happy not to have to bowl to him this time round.

But the home side still have a superb batting line-up, with only the openers not quite up to the standards set by messrs Tendulkar and Dravid.

Bet365 make Tendulkar the 5/2 favourite and though the little master has not been quite on top of his form in his most recent Test outings - he still averages almost 55 in Tests and he's hardly looked bad. In fact, in his recent one-day outings, he has looked back to his best, so could be set for a big series.

Dravid is next at 10/3 and he is an interesting price, as he has not had that much cricket of late having been left out of the one-day squad. However, Dravid is all class and as someone who averages 56 he has to be respected. If anything, the break should have done him good and he may even revel in just concentrating on his batting again after the transferral of the captaincy to Anil Kumble.

Sourav Ganguly is next at 11/2 and the former captain has done well since he regained his place in the side. With Yuvraj Singh having been left out of the first Test, VVS Laxman would be tempting at 13/2 but he may bat as low as No 6 which will limit his opportunities and time at the crease, while Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik are alongside him on the same price.

All about Yousuf and Younis
You don't need to be a genius to realise that there is beginning to be a bit of a gulf between the top two Pakistan batsmen and the rest as Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan go from strength to strength.

Yousuf is playing out of his mind at the moment. His overall average is 56, which is as good as Tendulkar and Dravid, but his recent form is phenomenal. In his last 20 Tests, he averages almost 79, while in his last 10, it's an incredible 91, and they haven't been against the minnows. In those 10 matches, he has scored seven centuries.

Bet365 make him 5/4 favourite and believe it or not, that seems fair to me. The other man in this race is Younis Khan, who is almost as good. His average is just under 50 but it is moving in the right direction, with him averaging 56 in his last 20 and 52 in his last 10.

I'd be surprised if anyone else gets a look in, but captain Shoaib Malik is a fine player and not out of it at 11/2, while Salman Butt can score big and is tempting at 13/2.

Pace or spin?
With the pitches in India, you never know how the pace bowlers are going to fare but you know they are generally good to bat on and take spin as the matches wear on. So, who will weave their magic with the ball?

New India captain Anil Kumble is favourite at 7/4 with bet365 to be his side's top wicket-taker and again, that's fair enough. The question is whether the role of captain will deflect him from his bowling duties.

Kumble averages more than five wickets a game against Pakistan, and more than six against them at home, which compares favourably with the recalled Harbhajan Singh, who has taken just 15 wickets against Pakistan, although they came in all four of the matches he played against them at home.

Bet365 make Harbhajan 10/3 while the ever-improving Zaheer Khan is the same price after Sreesanth and RP Singh were left out. Murali Kartik has been cut from 10/1 to 6/1 after being named in the side for the first Test.

For Pakistan, Shoaib Akhtar and Danish Kaneria share favouritism at 2/1. Out of those two I'd prefer Kaneria, just because I think he will bowl more and you always worry about Shoaib's fitness over a three-match series.

Umar Gul is 7/2 and Abdur Rehman 13/2 but beyond them there is not a great deal left, though Mohammad Sami, an 8/1 chance, can be useful.