Who wants to win the dead rubber most?

So, India upset the odds and clinched an unassailable 3-1 lead over South Africa in the five-game series, leaving just one question going into Friday's final match. Will the form hold and India win it? Or will the dead rubber syndrome strike and Sri Lanka come out on top?

On form, India should be able to win the final match and clinch a 4-1 series win, but we all know, from watching series after series down the years, that once the win is achieved, then the dead rubbers are very different affairs.

Human nature tells us that once the main aim is reached, then the little things don't matter so much, and dead rubbers are so often won by the side beaten in the series.

That explains pretty much the odds offered by bet365, who make Sri Lanka 8/11 favourites and India the outsiders at evens, despite the fact that India have won the past four matches, and with it their first series triumph in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's batting has let them down of late, so expect them to come out with some freedom in the final game.

Sanath Jayasuriya is favourite on his own again at 3/1, while captain Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakarra are next at 10/3. Mahela Udawatte is 5/1, Chamara Kapugedera and Malinda Warnapura are 11/2, and Chamara Silva is 7/1.

For India, Gautam Gambhir is again the favourite at 10/3, while Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are all 9/2. Suresh Raina is on offer at 5/1, while Rohit Sharma and Irfan Pathan are both 7/1.

I have to think that India will not give two hoots if they lose this match, so the 8/11 on Sri Lanka is a pretty fair price. We will see.