India have emerged as the bookmakers’ favourites to win the ICC World Cup after an incredible run of form propelled them into the semi-finals with seven victories from nine outings.
In the round-robin stage, two-time champions India’s matchagainst New Zealand was a washout, while their sole defeat came at the hands ofhosts England.
India will take on New Zealand in Manchester on Tuesdaywhile five-time winners and holders Australia clash with old rivals England atBirmingham on Thursday.
Leading online betting websites such as Ladbrokes and Betwaypredicted the Indian team to enter the July 14 final and win the showpiece atthe hallowed Lord’s.
Ladbrokes pegged the odds of an outright win by India at13/8, followed by England (15/8), Australia (11/4) and rank outsiders NewZealand (8/1).
Betway also favoured India to be champions for the thirdtime and placed the odds at 2.8, followed by England (3), Australia (3.8) andNew Zealand (9.5).
The Virat Kohli–led Indian team finished at the top of thetable after the end of the league stage with 15 points, followed by Australia(14), England (12) and New Zealand (11), who are coming into the semifinalsafter three successive defeats.
A 13/8 bet implies that the amount one bets will bemultiplied by 13 and then divided by 8.
As per the betting websites, India’s in-from opener RohitSharma is expected to be the highest scorer in the tournament (8/13 bet rate onLadbrokes), followed by Australia’s David Warner (11/8) and England’s Joe Root(20/1).India skipper Kohli also figures in the top 5 ata bet-rate of 33/1.