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Kolkata: Wrecked by Pakistani seamers in their opening ODI, India's under-fire cricketers will have to pull themselves up against the archrivals when they clash in a must-win second one-dayer on Thursday with the form of their top-order batsmen a concern.
Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan had sucked the life out of Indian batting when his fiery spell of four for 43 in Chennai mopped up the top order and eventually set up a six-wicket victory for his team.
None of the top five batsmen could even reach a double digit figure and if it would not have been for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's heroic unbeaten 113, things would have been more embarrassing for the hosts who are trailing the three-match series 0-1.
Another defeat on Thursday would mean India's second series loss in less than a fortnight after England recorded their first Test series win (2-1) on Indian soil in 28 years.
It remains to be seen how captain Dhoni makes the famed top-order click with both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir struggling to give a good start to the team.
In absence of retired ODI batsman Sachin Tendulkar, senior pro Sehwag is yet to take up the challenge and lead the batting from the front.
Sehwag had a poor 2012, accumulating 217 from 10 matches. Barring a 96 against Sri Lanka last year, he's yet to fire since his record-breaking 219 in December 2011.
Considering that Sehwag, who did not play the T20Is, specially figured in India's ODI scheme of things, his return to form will be the need of the hour.
Virat Kohli too is going through a mini-slump and it has only added to India's misery. Kohli had injured his foot in Chennai and there's a cloud of uncertainty over him but India would want the promising right-hander to be back in his usual number three.
Barring Yuvraj Singh who had set up India's series-levelling T20 International win in Ahmedabad with his 36-ball 72, India's batting has been a picture of inconsistency.
Rohit Sharma's poor run of scores in ODIs continued in Chennai and India could consider replacing him with Ajinkya Rahane.
In the bowling department, India would like young Bhuvneshwar Kumar swing the ball with his fine pace, while in spin department Ravichandran Ashwin will be the key as the home side would look to keep the same three-plus-one pace-spin combination, that means local lad Mohammad Shami Ahmed may have to wait for his first ODI cap.
On the other hand, Pakistan have an all-win record against India from three matches at the Eden Gardens and they would look to wrap up the issue here.
The pace battery of Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan will once again look to bowl full throttle and exploit India's weakness.
Irfan had pulled a hamstring under muggy conditions of Chennai and it remains to be seen whether the 7-feet 1-inch frame speedster figures in the ranks.
But all eyes would be on left-arm pacer Junaid as he would look to give early breakthroughs with the new ball.
The only concern for skipper Misbah-ul-Haq would be to improve their death bowling performance that had conceded 81 runs in Chennai as India could recover to 227.
Even in Ahmedabad T20I, where their bowlers had conceded 74 runs in last five overs, it had hurt Pakistan's cause as India levelled the series with a 11-run victory.
Teams from:
India: MS Dhoni (Captain & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra and Shami Ahmed.
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Anwar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imran Farhat, Wahab Riaz, Zulfiqar Babar.
Stats and trivia
Match facts
January 3, 2013 (day/night)
Start time 1200 local (0630 GMT, 11:30 Pak)
