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Run feast expected in deciding one-dayer

Stung by a sloppy performance which led to a comprehensive defeat at Guwahati, skipper Sachin Tendulkar needs to extract total application and commitment from his crew to subdue the spirited New Zealanders and sign off the final one-dayer of five-match series in style at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi tomorrow.

The thumping 48-run win in the fourth one-dayer by the Kiwis must have taught the Indians a lesson or two on temperament, fighting spirit and professionalism. One things is sure: it shook off their complacency before the crunch encounter, which assumes great significance as the two teams are at par, having won two matches each.

The pressure is back on Sachin Tendulkar and his men, who need to put everything in place to avoid a 'home series defeat' just before the start of their 76-day tour Down Under, from November 22.

Indian coach Kapil Dev, however, discounted that the defeat at Guwahati would have a psychological bearing on his boys. ''They are all professional players. The defeat was actually on paper and we have already put it behind us,'' was how Kapil described the mental make-up of the players on the eve of the crucial encounter.

Nevertheless, to bet on the Indians is a brave man's risk, as the team's performance has been so inconsistent that one can hardly correlate their performances of Hyderabad and Gwalior with the one at Guwahati. What was disappointing was the meek surrender of the hosts.

''We have forgotten Sunday's match and are concentrating on the job at hand. The team will get its act together and rise to the occasion to clinch the series,'' Tendulkar said.

The Kotla track looks flat, with some dried specks of grass on it, but the cool morning in the capital means that the toss will be of strategic importance. The morning moisture will ensure that seamers will rule the roost for the first hour or so, but once the moisture dries out, batsmen can make merry.

The Indians will need to build an innings and bat like they did at Hyderabad. Although they failed to deliver in the last match, Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Ajay Jadeja have been among the runs and should not find it difficult on the Kotla wicket.

A sore shoulder has put a grain of doubt over the availability of Jadeja, though he seems enthusiastic enough to play.

Keeping in mind the small ground, bowlers will need to stick to a good line and length and cut out experiment. On such tracks, where the ball comes comfortably on to the bat, only a fuller length will command some respect from the batsmen. Anything short or over pitched could be put to sword.

Though the Indian bowling looks a bit thin in the absence of the three frontline bowlers, Kapil, who does not believe in chopping and changing after one loss, categorically denied that the rested Karnataka trio of Srinath, Prasad and Kumble will be called up for the decider.

The think-tank will have to give a serious thought over the three available pace options. T Kumaran showed substantial promise in his debut and bowled like an seasoned pro, offering no width whatsoever to the Kiwis, while Ajit Agarkar looked totally rusty. Debashish Mohanty, who was in some discomfort after the Gwalior tie and did not play the penultimate one-dayer, can be a little expensive at times. However, has shown that he is a wicket-taker and cannot be overlooked for the big occasion.

The spin department looks quite good, with local hero Nikhil Chopra among wickets, and left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi, who contributed an unbeaten 61 in Guwahati, bowling well.

After their morale-boosting victory, Stephen Fleming and company are a motivated lot. The happy news for them is that big allrounder Chris Cairns has also found his rhythm with the bat which was due. Besides, Nathan Astle and Roger Twose are in good nick. With Srinath, Prasad and Kumble missing form the line-up they will surely hope to take a heavy toll of the rather inexperienced attack.

The win-loss record for India against New Zealand after Guwahati stands at 29-24 for the hosts, with the three other matches ending in no results. Of the last four internationals played at this venue, India have won two, both Test matches, and lost two, both one-dayers.

Pitch curator Radhe Shayam said: ''It is a 275-plus track. We have worked hard to produce a true one-day wicket. In fact, another score of over 300 will not be a surprise.''

Which means a lush green outfield, runs aplenty and a battle royale.

The teams:
India (from): Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Ajay Jadeja, Vijay Bharadwaj, Robin Singh, M S K Prasad, Nikhil Chopra, Gyanendra Pandey, Debashish Mohanty, Sunil Joshi, Devang Gandhi, Ajit Agarkar and T Kumaran.

New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (captain), Craig Spearman, Nathan Astle, Roger Twose, Chris Cairns, Adam Parore, Chris Harris, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori, Shayne O'Connor, Chris Drum, Gary Stead, Alex Tait and Matthew Horne.

Umpires: V M Gupte and S K Sharma
Third umpire: Umesh Kumar
Match referee: Ranjan Madugulle (Sri Lanka)

UNI