More punishment?

Yuvraj Singh has dominated in the first two games, but the rest of the Indian middle-order 8212; Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni 8212; seemed to be lining up to cash in. It was raining sixes during the nets as the trio spent their time clearing imaginary boundary ropes.

8220;Hitting sixes is very important in games,8221; Dhoni said later. 8220;If you hit eight or 10 of them in practice, it gives you the confidence to try hitting sixes at least three-four times in a match.8221; Obviously, there are no half-measures here.

Decoding Yuvraj

The biggest headache for the visitors remains Yuvraj though, who has been in sensational form with a 138 in Rajkot and another century plus a four-wicket haul in Indore. 8220;We8217;ll try to get him out as early as we can. He was a bit down on form before the series started but has bounced back in the first two matches and looks hungry for runs,8221; off-spinner Graeme Swann, likely to be drafted into the playing XI, said at the pre-match press conference.

Swann8217;s inclusion apart, Kevin Pietersen has other things to worry about. Paul Collingwood, their middle-order mainstay, is out of form, James Anderson is yet to take a wicket, openers Ian Bell and Matt Prior are struggling to give the side good starts, while the reliable left-armer Ryan Sidebottom is still struggling with an injury.

Their hope lies in the fact that they had India on the ropes for a while in the second game, when they had dismissed Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma early in the innings. They also looked good to chase down the total when Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff were at the crease, but pressed the panic button and disintegrated.

8220;We were on top in the last match. We let India off the hook a couple of times. Even when Kevin and Flintoff were batting we were set to win. We have to seize the initiative,8221; Swann said.

No worries for India

In contrast, the home side has no major worries, except for RP Singh8217;s dip in form and even that seems to have been sorted out with Ishant Sharma recovering from his ankle strain.

8220;Ishant is 100 per cent fit and available for this match,8221; Dhoni said. But he dismissed any possibility of major changes in the side.

8220;There is no need to experiment with the combination now as this is a seven-match series and we are only 2-0 up. We will think about it when somebody needs a rest,8221; he added.

As things stand, not too many will be looking to sit the game out, especially the batsmen, who looked extremely keen to get a piece of the action.