India will scrape through in closely-fought contest'

Men in Blue will lift the World Cup at Wankhede stadium after a match full of nail-biting moments, predict bookies
THE Men in Blue have the bookies' odds in their favour once again in what they describe as a rerun of the mythological Ram-Raavan mahayuddh.

India is pegged at 57 paise and Sri Lanka at Rs 1.70 for the World Cup final, which is expected to see Rs 5,000 crore changing hands in betting circles.



Bookies say there is a good chance of Sri Lanka winning the toss and electing to bat first.

They are expected to score between 250 and 260 runs. India is expected to chase the total, but the match will be a nailbiter, say bookies. They attribute this to the Wankhede wicket changing after the first innings.

"India will just about scrape through in the closely-contested finale," said a bookie from the western suburbs.

A large number of high-profile bookies from India and Pakistan are routing their bets through Dubai, with Mumbai attaining the dubious distinction of becoming the hub of illegal money transfers during the betting season.

Some of the prominent bookies in today's match will be Shoban Kalachowkie, Ashok Royal, Patiya Kano, Virendra Borivli, Junior Kolkata, Mandi Dilli, Kothari, Prakash Cassette and Dilip Sadhana.

Looking ahead

Bookies are also looking forward to the IPL matches as they did not get a chance to make windfall gains because of the World Cup being largely free of upsets.

ODDS
57 paise: India
Rs 1.70: Sri Lanka