On the evidence of the last three weeks, India would appear to have the distinct edge on both counts; Sri Lanka, however, will eye a solitary good day in office to make a late dash for a spot in the finals of the tri-series.

Defeat on Tuesday will not necessarily mean the end of India’s spirited campaign, though it will leave them relying on Australia to maintain their hegemony over the Lankans at the MCG on Friday. For Sri Lanka — who suffered a setback after all-rounder Farveez Maharoof picked up a side strain — a fifth defeat will signal instant elimination, and not undeservedly so either.

Sri Lanka have got precious little right throughout the competition, particularly on the batting front. Their lone success, in Canberra, came in a truncated game, mid-match showers decisively tilting the scales in their favour and leaving India with a realistically indefensible target to protect. Their bowling has been up to scratch, but the batting has been a massive let down. Not even the classy Kumar Sangakkara has been able to repair the damage inflicted by repeated collective failures. Veteran Sanath Jayasuriya hasn’t hit a stroke in anger apart from that Canberra cameo, and Sri Lanka have had to pay a heavy penalty therefore for never ever managing a start.

Top-order failure

Where India have matched their Asian neighbours is in their own inability to stitch together a top-order partnership of substance. Just as Sri Lanka have suffered because Jayasuriya has failed to come to the party, Sachin Tendulkar’s recent tapering off has seriously hurt India’s prospects. After making 121 runs in his first four innings, the 34-year-old has managed just seven in the next three.

Twice in his last three outings, Tendulkar has been the victim of dubious umpiring decisions; on both occasions, an old failing, against the ball slanting back in to him, contributed to his undoing.

Many premier contemporary batsmen — including Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid — have had their fair share of problems against the delivery angling in. Tendulkar’s propensity to walk across his stumps and try to whip to leg early in his innings leaves him open to leg before calls in the event of the ball defeating his angled blade and thudding into his pads. The Mumbaikar doesn’t need to be told, of course, that he will be better off playing straight early on before bringing his wrists into play and working the gaps.

Tendulkar has also had his fair share of problems against Lasith Malinga. The tearaway quick’s unusual action troubled Tendulkar no end at the Gabba, his cause not helped by the white ball being lost against the backdrop of umpire Steve Davis’ white hat just at the point of release. Twice in three games, Malinga has had Tendulkar's measure; the two 'bowled Malinga' dismissals couldn't, however, be more different. At the Gabba, Tendulkar fell dragging a widish ball on while trying to force off the back foot. Last Tuesday at the Adelaide Oval, the dismissal was more emphatic as the maestro was undone by late swing at great pace, losing off-stump to his first delivery against Malinga.

Embarrassing fashion

Tendulkar doesn't take kindly to being knocked over in embarrassing fashion. Henry Olonga, that quixotic Zimbabwean quick, had him caught at gully fending a snorter in Sharjah in 1998. In the next game, Tendulkar came at Olonga with such ferocity that at various stages, the paceman entertained thoughts of waving the white flag! A decade on, if Tendulkar can summon the same aggressive riposte, Mahendra Singh Dhoni can happily forget the opening woes that have necessitated the skipper to swap circumspection for natural flair.

The tremendous strides made by tournament top-scorer Gautam Gambhir have almost, but not totally, compensated for the brittleness of the top-order. India’s start-stop campaign has tied Dhoni's hands to the extent that reserve batsmen Suresh Raina and Dinesh Kaarthick haven’t got a game, and Manoj Tiwari had one abortive hit just 24 hours after arriving in Australia. Dhoni hinted at a possible reshuffling of the opening combination, with Robin Uthappa the likely candidate to partner Tendulkar instead of Virender Sehwag. That call will depend on how the skipper reads the track in the morning, what with India arriving from Sydney only late on Monday afternoon.

Sri Lanka’s desperation against India’s desire to not leave things to chance. The stage is set — will the actors please deliver?