India aim to seal series in fourth ODI

30 November -0001

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Kochi, India, ahead of England by 3-0, will aim to seal the seven-match one-day international series in Thursday's fourth tie here even as England will attempt to fight back to remain in the fray.

India won the first three matches in Delhi, Faridabad and Goa to make a remarkable comeback after losing the third Test in Mumbai that allowed England to draw the three-match series 1-1.

In the first two low-scoring matches India's lower order batsmen and bowlers starred in the wins, while left-handed Yuvraj Singh cracked a whirlwind century in Goa to be the hero of the victory.

But Wednesday, Yuvraj, along with wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan missed the practice session, raising questions about their playing in the match at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.

Yuvraj was taken to a hospital for an MRI scan on his lower right leg, even as the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) said that he did not face any major fitness problem.

The players will have to take the heat and humidity of this coastal town in their stride.

"The heat is not a problem but the humidity is," India captain Rahul Dravid said.

Humidity or not, India seem to be on a roll, with left-handed Suresh Raina leading the charge with two successive half-centuries in Faridabad and Goa.

The Uttar Pradesh batsman has so far scored 166 in three innings - the highest on either side - though Yuvraj's aggregate of 122 in as many outings is also better than any in the English side.

England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones said that it was a must-win situation for them.

"The boys are all in good spirits and we need to have a decent score. The weather is certainly a problem," he said.

Dravid said the pitch looked good. "The wicket here is good and a score of 250-plus would be nice. We have no injury problems and the team selection committee is meeting later in the day (Wednesday)," he told reporters.

KCA secretary T.C. Mathew said that the wicket was "great and full of runs".

"The outfield is a bit heavy. Apart from that, things are magnificent for cricket," Mathew told IANS.

He, however, said the ticket sales so far were lower compared to the last year's match here between India and Pakistan.

Fans felt that Sachin Tendulkar's absence is also a reason for low interest in the match.

"Tedulkar is not playing and his absence has certainly affected the interest here. Moreover, this English side has not performed well in the ODIs after putting up a good fight in the Test series," said a college student.

The 80,000-capacity stadium, however, will be full if Kerala lad Sreesanth makes it to the playing XI. He was rested in the third match in Goa Monday.

"We are all praying that he plays in tomorrow's match," V. Shanta Kumaran Nair, Sreesanth's father, told reporters at his residence here.

If the young pacer makes it, it would be the first time a Kerala lad would be playing in an international match in Kerala.

Teams

India:

England:

Umpires: K. Hariharan (India) and Rudi Koertzen (South Africa) Third/TV umpire: A.V. Jayaprakash (India) Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)

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