After a high-scoring, and a rather boring, drawn first game, India and Sri Lanka will meet in the second test match of the three test match series at the Green Park in Kanpur. The two sides will hope that the pitch does have something in it for the bowling department, after only 21 wickets fell in the course of the five days at Ahmedabad.

There has been a lot of mystery surrounding the exact nature of the pitch at Kanpur. With the first test match turning out to be the way it did, and the history at Kanpur suggesting a low-scoring spinners’ paradise, one gets the sense that the track should afford a result. Hence, the team batting first could have a lot more advantage than what India had in the first game. Despite the early exchange, India will go into the game as favourites, and 888Sport offers 7/4 for their win as compared to Coral’s 7/2 for a Sri Lankan triumph. However, this has changed in Sri Lanka’s favour from the odds of 6/4 and 4/1 respectively that had been offered at the start of the first test match.

There were four centuries for India in the previous match. With the track expected to play in the favour of the bowlers much more than one at Motera, the damage will be needed to be done by the top-order. Virender Sehwag (4/1 at 888Sport to top the Indian batting) continue to flay bowlers and then get himself out when the going gets easier, but one can expect him to come good after the second innings half century. Gautam Gambhir’s (4/1 at Sky Bet to be the best batsman for India) century will hold him in good stead but he is yet to recapture full form, while Sachin Tendulkar (7/2 at Betfred to be the best batsman for India) may not enjoy the slow nature of the Kanpur wicket. He averages only 39 here, with a highest score of 61.

VVS Laxman played a worthy hand of an unbeaten half century in the second essay of the Motera game, and he could be the one to carry his form into the second game lower down the order. Bet365’s offer of 7/1 for him to top score makes it a tempting bet. MS Dhoni has had his finger injured and that could see him out of the game, with Dinesh Karthik being already called in as cover.

For Sri Lanka, Mahela Jayawardene’s smashing double century was the sixth of his career, but the conditions at Kanpur could be very different from those at Motera. However, with the Sri Lankans pitches not too different from the one at Kanpur, Boylesports’ 7/2 for him to top the Lankan batting could have many takers. Kumar Sangakkara is another who goes into the game with the same 7/2 odds offered by 888Sport. Despite the form exhibited by Tillakaratne Dilshan (4/1 at Sky Bet to top Indian batting) this calendar year, he has had his nose injured and could miss out on the game. It remains to be seen who will open the Sri Lankan innings if he does not make it to the starting eleven, but even if he does, there is a good chance that the Indian bowlers will try to bounce him out.

Tips:
Favourites: India (7/4 at 888Sport)
Top Indian batsman: VVS Laxman (7/1 at Bet365)
Top Sri Lankan batsman: Mahela Jayawardene (7/2 at Boylesports)