India eye series-clinching win at Eden

It's a likely series-clincher for India, but a must-win game for Sri Lanka, as one-day cricket returns to the Eden Gardens after a four-year hiatus when the teams clash in the fourth match of the series on Thursday.

The last occasion when this historic stadium hosted a match was November 2005 -- when South Africa comprehensively beat the hosts. A scheduled one-dayer -- between India and Sri Lanka in February 2007 – was washed out.

The hosts go into the match with a 2-1 lead but enough worries in tow.

Their recent record in this venue isn't very inspiring -- having won just one off their last four matches played this decade.

Also, they will be without two of their key players -- MS Dhoni, serving the last of his two-match ban before taking charge again in the New Delhi ODI, and Yuvraj Singh, ruled out for the rest of the series because of a finger injury.

On the positive side, the hosts can rely again on the blade of stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, and also bank on a resurgent spin attack, which sealed the third ODI.

Sri Lankan, on the other hand, have struggled to cope up with their ever-expanding injuries list. Considering the fact that their inexperienced bowlers have let the home team score huge totals in all the opening matches, it is indeed a worry for their think-tank.

What assuages them, however, is their batting form. The Sri Lankan batsmen have returned compliments, hitting the Indian bowlers all over the park, especially the top three.

The wicket at the Eden Gardens is a belter though it has a soft corner for spinners.

"A hard wicket," is how Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss assessed it. "It is mainly a batting track with plenty of runs and some help for the spinners," he added.

Sehwag seemed to concur.

"In one of the matches we played here against Pakistan we scored 300-plus runs, but they chassed the total easily," recalled the captain, while explaining the nature of the wicket.

Both teams are yet to decide on their respective squads but India are likely to draft in either Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma in place of an injured Yuvraj.

What was initially perceived as a cakewalk for the home team, especially considering the fact that the injury list of the visitors is ever-increasing and they  were whipped in the Tests -- and not allowed to celebrate their T20 success (at Mohali), turned into a see-saw contest that will go right down to the wire is now back to its original perception.

India, having posted 414 runs batting first in the first ODI at Rajkot, had hoped to get series off to a rollicking start.

But the fact that the Sri Lankans remained undaunted by the magnitude of the total and almost made it gave them the confidence which helped them execute their plan to perfection in the second ODI at Nagpur, the visitors' come-from-behind three-wicket win nullifying whatever advantage the hosts'  might  have had.

However, India regained lost ground with a comprehensive win at Cuttack.

And it would be a surprise if India doesn't wrap up the series on Thursday.