India's batting may have lost some sheen in the absence of M S Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh but the hosts still have enough firepower as they go into the fourth cricket one-dayer against Sri Lanka in Kolkata on Thursday hoping to wrap up the series by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead.
The hosts were already missing regular skipper Dhoni due to a ban imposed on him, and were dealt a blow when the dangerous Yuvraj Singh was also ruled out of the series due to a recurring finger injury.
The Lankans, who have also been hit hard by a spate of injuries, will be desperate to level the series in what promises to be a keen contest at the historic Eden Gardens.
Even though India have a decent batting order, a good start at the top will be imperative for them to do well in tomorrow's flood-lit encounter.
Stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag and seasoned Sachin Tendulkar will have to stay at the crease for a long period to ease the pressure on the middle-order, which is now dependent on left-hander Gautam Gambhir.
Youngsters Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik and whoever comes in as replacement of Yuvraj will have to shoulder the burden of scoring runs and make themselves counted.
Sehwag, who led the side brilliantly in Cuttack to take a 2-1 lead, would do everything to clinch the issue before Dhoni returns for the fifth match after serving the two-match ban.
India under Sehwag dished out a clinical performance in Cuttack and it never seemed that the side was playing without their regular skipper.
Tendulkar had steered India to comfortable win with his controlled batting in Cuttack and the host would hope that the star batsman would yet again come up with an inspiring performance.
It will also be a test for India's bowlers, who will have to restrict the visitors to take off the pressure from their batsmen. So far they have done well in patches but tomorrow is the day when they will have to put up good show.
India's main threat in this series remains Tillakaratne Dilshan and the hosts will have to dismiss the opener early to stay in the match.
In fact Sehwag conceded after their win in Cuttack that Dilshan's wicket made all the difference.
"The form Dilshan is in, it's difficult for any bowlers to stop runs. When Dilshan was batting the run-rate was well about 10-12 runs but Nehra gave the breakthrough. After his dismissal the run rate dipped," he said.
If bowling was a matter of concern after Dilhara Fernando and Muttiah Muralitharan's return, Lankan batting too seemed to be over dependent on Dilshan , a fact acknowledged by skipper Kumar Sangakkara himslf.
"I think it was just poor batting that did us in. Individually, we have to take responsibility," he said. PTI
