Despite the dampener in Kolkata — the match being wound up in three days spelled massive losses — the punters are quite upbeat of making amends in Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell Test. According to punters, betting to the tune of Rs500 crore on Tendulkar alone is expected.
In Kolkata, odds were relatively low on Tendulkar scoring a hundred (2.25 a Rupee). But it has plummeted for the Mumbai Test, and hence if he scores a hundred, the punters would gain Rs 4.95 a rupee. “In Mumbai, he will be under so much pressure, his 200th Test, his last one and all the hype that comes with it. So the punters have been pretty circumspect,” said a Chennai-based bookie.
His double hundred is placed at Rs 13 a rupee, which means any one who has placed Rs100 on Tendulkar scoring a double century would gain Rs 1,300. “He hasn’t scored a Test hundred in two and a half years. So it is highly unlikely that he would score one. But if he scores one, those who have placed the bets before the Test gain a lot. Naturally, the odds will flicker as the match progresses. For example, if he is batting on 150, the odds of him getting a double hundred will only increase,” he explained.
The majority, though, believes that he would score less than 25 runs, as it would fetch only 25 paise a rupee, meaning a Rs 100 gamble will gain Rs 122. Tendulkar getting to his half-century is fixed around 65 paise a rupee, that is if someone places a bet of Rs 100, he will gain Rs 165.
Widespread betting is also going around on whether he would take a wicket or a catch. “The only people who gained in Kolkata were those who placed bets on him getting a wicket. It was placed around Rs 10 a rupee while chances of bowling itself was placed at around Rs 8. Overall, Rs 850-1,000 crore will change hands,” he elaborated.
Though the police have been highly vigilant about betting, the bookie says, the punters are beyond their grasp, despite a spate of bust-ups post the IPL-6 spot-fixing scandal. “It’s so organised and controlled mostly by the Mumbai underworld that the police can’t do much about it despite their efforts. All they can catch are some petty punters. They can’t shake the edifice of it,” he said.