Jolted by three consecutive defeats, India will need a huge spark of inspiration to stop Pakistan from clinching a remarkable one-day series win in the high-profile sixth and final match to be witnessed by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in New Delhi on Sunday.
Having frittered away a 2-0 lead to find themselves trailing 2-3 in the series, the hosts are in total disarray and have no option but to plug their bowling loopholes in the crucial match being held amidst unprecedented security arrangements.
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The Indians will go into the match without Sourav Ganguly with the BCCI deciding not to make any changes in the squad though the out-of-form skipper is eligible to play pending a resolution to his appeal against the six-match ban.
Although the series has reached a climax, the focus will surely be on President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who will watch the initial stages of the proceedings along with a galaxy of VVIPs and political leaders.
The presence of so many dignitaries has led to an unprecedented security cover at the Kotla which had raced against time to be ready for the grand occasion, though the renovation work has still not been fully completed. But despite all the VVIP movements, the real action will unfold on the 22-yard strip which holds the key to the fortunes of both the teams who are equally determined to win the last match.
Nobody is willing to predict as to how the newly laid track at the Kotla will behave but going by the few trial matches held here, the ball is likely to keep low.
In other words, it could mean a low scoring match as the low bounce will make strokeplay a difficult proposition, unlike the other matches in the series which have all been high-scoring affairs.
The Pakistanis have shown a great character and resilience to bounce back from a 0-2 deficit and Inzamam, who has often been criticised for his laid-back style of captaining, has silenced his detractors to a great extent.
The burly Pakistani captain has not only led from the front with some superb knocks but has held the young team together after the two early defeats. His players have now responded and Shahid Afridi, who pulverised the Indians with a 46-ball 102 in Kanpur, has acknowledged that he could play such a blistering knock only because his captain has the faith in him.
The visitors have ensured that they cannot lose the series which will help them to go into the match in a more relaxed frame of mind. The Indians will be more desperate as their pride is at stake.
The Indians have a lot of problems, particularly in the bowling department. The bowling has suddenly looked extremely ordinary with no one really being able to put the brakes on the rampaging Pakistanis.
The hosts have to quickly find a way to stop Afridi who can be the most destructive batsman when he gets going, like he did in Kanpur where most of the other batsmen struggled.
Afridi can quickly change the complexion of the game and the Indians must have a strategy in place to prevent him from giving a flying start.
The home team had gone into the Kanpur match with two specialist spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble but it remains to be seen whether the team management opts for the double spin formula for tomorrow's match. Both the spinners proved quite ineffective but then Afridi was simply unstoppable yesterday.
The Indian pacemen --Zaheer Khan, Laxmipathy Balaji and Ashish Nehra -- have expectedly found very little assistance from the tracks an will therefore have to stick to a good line and length to contain the run flow.
The bowlers face a real challenge as most of the Pakistani batsmen have been in good form and the visitors also have the batting depth as they have a number of all-rounders.
It is the presence of players like Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik and Afridi, all capable all-rounders, which has given Pakistan a clear edge in the series and Inzamam will be hoping that his all-rounders click again in the crucial tie tomorrow.
Virender Sehwag holds the key to India's fortunes. In current form, he is by far the most destructive batsman in the Indian camp and it eases a lot of pressure on the other batsmen when he gets going.
Sachin Tendulkar also gave glimpses of his vintage form when he cracked a century in the fourth one-day international at Ahmedabad and the team will be looking to him for another such effort to save the series.
The Indians could have given the perfect farewell gift to coach John Wright by winning the ODI series, but now that they have messed it up, they can atleast draw the series to ensure that the former New Zealand captain does not end his long stint on a losing note.
It will be the last day in office for the amiable Wright who has not only worked to bring in more discipline but has raised the fitness level of the players since taking over as the coach in 2000.
Over 2000 Pakistani fans will flock the Kotla to cheer for Inzamam and his men and it will be yet another opportunity for cricket lovers of both the countries to sit together and celebrate a game which has served as a vehicle for promoting peace and friendship among the two countries.
Teams:
India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, L Balaji, Ashish Nehra, M Kartik, S Sriram, Ajit Agarkar.
Pakistan: Inzamam-ul Haq (captain), Younis Khan, Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Yousuf Youhana, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Arshad Khan, Rao Iftekhar Anjum, Shahid Nazir, Asim Kamal and Mohammad Hafeez.
