Rs 100cr riding on Sachin’s 100th international century

It’s a Rs 100-crore question. Will Sachin Tendulkar get his 100th international century in the World Cup semi-final clash between India and Pakistan at Mohali on Wednesday? Bookies, who have already accepted bets of Rs60 crore on Tendulkar scoring a century against Pakistan, expect the figure to cross the Rs100-crore mark by Wednesday.

“The craze surrounding Sachin’s 100th international hundred, especially against Pakistan, has given us a good business opportunity,” said a city bookie, requesting anonymity because the betting business is illegal.

He added that despite the odds going against Tendulkar’s ton, most people are placing bets in his favour.

The odds on Tendulkar scoring a century are Rs 4.5 per rupee bet. But bookies are hopeful of Sachin scoring a half-century — the odds are Rs 1.1 per rupee bet. The lower the rate, the higher the chances of that result taking place.

Not just Tendulkar, bookies feel that neither an Indian nor a Pakistani player would be able to score a century on Wednesday. “That’s because both sides are expected to give 100% in fielding and bowling, thereby restricting runs,” the bookie explained.

The bookies also expect Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh to score 50 runs and more.

India are favoured to win the match against Pakistan with the odds of 62 paise for every rupee. Pakistan are far behind with a rate of Rs 1.55.

India are also favourites to lift the World Cup and are quoted at Rs 1.62 per rupee bet. Sri Lanka follow closely with a rate of Rs 1.8.

Bookies also expect a record turnover for the India-Pakistan match. “The match is expected to generate around Rs 6,000 crore,” the bookie said. This would be the highest turnover for a single cricket match. The India-Australia match on March 24 had witnessed a business of Rs 2,000 crore.