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Kolkata: India's batting may have lost some sheen in the absence of MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh but the hosts still have enough firepower as they go into the fourth One-dayer against Sri Lanka 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'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.
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 himself.
It remains to be seen whether Sangakkara brings back the veteran Sanath Jayasuriya who was dropped in their last two matches in Nagpur and Cuttack.
Even Mahela Jayawardene's indifferent form would be a matter of concern for Sangakkara who will have a task in hand to level the series.
The team batting second will have to watch for the heavy dew which will play a role in the second half of the match.
"Dew is a concern, but we will try our best to negate its affect," curator Probir Mukherjee said.
As for the pitch, it promise to be a bouncy and firm wicket, tailor-made for batting.
With Eden Gardens, known to be 'mecca of Indian cricket', hosting a one-dayer after about three years, there has been lot of enthusiasm among the people here even as almost half the stadium will be closed with renovation for World Cup 2011 in progress.
Team news
India: Virat Kohli will step in for Yuvraj and hope to build on his impressive 54 in 2nd ODI. Tomorrow game may be good news for seamer Sudeep Tyagi replaced Ishant Sharma.
Squad (likely): Virender Sehwag (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma/Sudeep Tyagi, Ashish Nehra.
Sri Lanka: They don't have any new fitness worries but they need to address their middle-order problems. In last game Sri Lanka misses his all-rounder Mathews, and Sri Lanka should really reconsider Sanath Jayasuriya over Ajantha Mendis not least because all-rounder option he creates.
Squad (likely): Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilina Kandamby, Sanath Jayasuriya/Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv, Lasith Malinga, Chanaka Welegedara.
Pitch and conditions
Kolkata's Eden Gardens is set to host an ODI after nearly three years. India and Sri Lanka played the last ODI at Eden Gardens on February 8, 2007 when heavy rains had washed out the match. With a 2.30pm start, and the sun setting fairly early, the teams will have pretty slippery conditions while fielding under lights.
Stats and trivia
Match facts
Thursday, December 24, 2009 (day/night)
Start time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT), 2:30pm SLT
