Sri Lanka vs. India 3rd Test @ P.Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo

India and Sri Lanka lock horns for the final encounter of this series with the scores levelled at 1-1 after an impressive Indian performance in the last test.

Both teams will be looking to gain the upper hand and clinch the series, and it seems that a lot will rest on the outcome of the toss. The team batting first has won both matches so far this series and with four of the best spinners in the world on show, neither team will fancy batting last on what is sure to be a turning track.

Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis have taken 34 of 40 Indian wickets to fall so far in the series, and with Harbhajan Singh having returned to the side impressively so far, it is perhaps surprising that neither team has even considered the thought of three spinners in the side.

With the ever-present weather doubts in Sri Lanka, the draw is trading relatively short once again, but going on previous results on this ground (seven results in the last seven tests), there is little evidence to suggest that draw backers have the value here. Also we must take into account that both tests in this series so far have been played on similar pitches, with similar weather doubts…and both tests have finished within four days.

The true value in this test may lie with India at prices in excess of 4.0 on the exchanges, but both sides have shown enough vulnerability to a collapse that I am reluctant to put all our eggs in one potentially fragile basket.

NJ’s Bet:

Lay The Draw - 4pts Liability @ 2.4 (Betfair )