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Australia v India first Test betting and odds

After the three ODIs between Australia and India, the betting focus now turns to the Test match series between the two sides which gets underway on Boxing Day.

India faced a tough set of matches against their arch rivals Pakistan and you can bet things will not get any easier against the world's best, who warmed up nicely to land the odds with a comfortable 96-run win in Hobart to land bets with a 2-0 series triumph over Sri Lanka.

Punters looking to bet on the tourists will be aware they have never won a series in Australia which is reflected in the betting. The closest they came to defying the odds was the draw achieved in 2003. The last overall series success for the tourists came when they managed a 2-1 win on the sub-continent in 2001.

However the strength of the India batting line up - which includes Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid , who have amassed over 20,000 Test runs between them at an average of 54.92 and 57.04 respectively - means they can occupy the crease and force themselves into a match-winning position against any side, whatever the odds.

The last time the two sides faced each other as a betting proposition in the extended format of the game, India enjoyed a slender 13-run victory in a low-scoring affair which ended inside three days. Although the Aussies had already landed outright series bets with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match clash prior to that final game in Mumbai in November 2004.

However, as many of the top sides have found, taking on the Aussies 'Down Under' is a different proposition, and with the pitches considerably faster than those on the sub-continent, it will again be hard for the Indians to dominate and the odds suggest they face a tough ask to improve on their record of just two wins in 17 Tests stretching back to 1981.

But those looking to bet on India should not be put off. It promises to be another fascinating betting encounter despite Ricky Ponting's men expected to start at short odds in the betting, given his side have won almost 50% of all post-war Tests played between the two nations compared to India's 22%.

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