In Don Bradman's footsteps? Heavy betting on Sachin Tendulkar scoring zero in 200th Test

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Betting on Sachin Tendulkar? Are you also adventurous and have a sense of cricket history? Then maybe, just maybe, you can earn double of what you wager.

There's a huge rush of bets on Tendulkar's last Test, starting November 14 in Mumbai, and most bets are on him scoring a zero. India's biggest bookies are saying hundreds of crores have been wagered on the master's last Test outing. The reason: Don Bradman had got out for a duck in his last Test innings.

Bookies are offering double the money you bet on either a century or a duck. These are considered the most risky bets, one major bookie said, and therefore the high payoff.

But punters seem unaffected by the high risk. The reason, the bookie said, is that emotional involvement is playing a part in the wagers - making a big, risky bet on Tendulkar's last Test has become an attraction in itself.

That's why a mid-level Mumbai banker has wagered 50,000 on a Tendulkar century. The banker, who did not wish to be identified, said he's a Tendulkar fan and is fairly certain the cricketer will go out with a bang.

Those betting on a Tendulkar duck, on the other hand, the bookie said, are wagering on the pressure of the occasion getting to the batsman. Safer bets are on a Tendulkar half-century and him remaining not out, these offer, for every Rs 100, a total payoff of Rs 115 and Rs 110, respectively.

If Tendulkar plays two innings, the bet will apply on the last innings he plays. Bookies said they have made this clear to punters. Therefore, even if Tendulkar scores a duck or a century in his first innings but bats and gets out for a score between 0 and 100, the punter loses the bet.

The betting market expects West Indies to not play well enough to make Tendulkar bat twice - he had to bat only once at the Eden Gardens. Thousands of punters who have wagered on a Tendulkar last innings would be hoping the same.

If Tendulkar bats twice, bookies say, the risk factor goes up heavily. The smartest bet then is wagering money on Tendulkar remaining not out in his last innings.