Do India want the whitewash?

Having already wrapped up the series and shown their total dominance, the big question going into the penultimate one-day international on Thursday is whether India have the desire to maintain momentum and move towards a whitewash, or whether they will ease off and allow the home side the chance to grab a consolation win.

The thing is, it's almost impossible to know. Bet365 make India 4/7 favourites to win the fourth match in the five-game series, while Sri Lanka are just 5/4.

The clue could be in the words of MS Dhoni, who hinted that he will use his squad as much as he can over the next two games, which could put into doubt their chances of extending their winning streak to their best ever run of consecutive wins.

However, confidence in their camp is so high - and it's so low in Sri Lanka's - that who is to say they won't go and win this match anyway. It is not as if their fringe players are inexperienced - the likes of Irfan Pathan and Rohit Sharma are seasoned players.

And Sachin Tendulkar still has not contributed to their efforts with a knock of any note, so the omens are not good for Sri Lanka, even if the motivation should be in their favour.

Tendulkar's time?
Having missed out three times in three matches, the odds are surely that Tendulkar, one of the best batsmen in the history of the one-day game, will come good sooner rather than later. Bet365 make him 7/2 second favourite to top-score on Thursday, just behind Virender Sehwag, who tops the list at 3/1.

Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh are each 4/1, while captain MS Dhoni is 11/2. Suresh Raina is next at 6/1, with Sharma available at 7/1.

Kumar Sangakkara, the only one to hold his head high in their record defeat last time out, tops the betting for Sri Lanka at 3/1, while Sanath Jayasuriya, who hit a century in the first match, is 7/2.

Tillekeratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga are both 4/1, captain Mahela Jayawardene is 9/2 and Thilina Kandamby is an 11/2 chance.

I just can't Sri Lanka see them lifting themselves enough to win a match, providing India maintain their focus, which makes 4/7 a reasonable price again.