One of the most top-heavy teams in one-day cricket was hit badly when Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag – two-thirds of their top order – were forced out of the series against Zimbabwe. And now comes the news that the other third – captain Sourav Ganguly – has picked up a knee injury from the first game at Faridabad. Even if he shrugs it off and plays, as he has indicated, Zimbabwe captain Stuart Carlisle is not worried. In a Steve Waugh-like statement to the press, he said that, without Sachin, India would not beat Zimbabwe. To add obstacle to misery, the second one-dayer is in the green and bouncy environs of Mohali, where the Zimbabwe medium-pacers – Heath Streak in particular – should quite enjoy themselves. As it is, after the thrilling win at Faridabad, the momentum is firmly on Zimbabwe's side even if, man-to-man, India looks the better team.

India's short-term worries are compounded by long-term ones. No team in world cricket – bar perhaps South Africa – have such an unsettled side. India's chief area of concern is the middle order. As many as eight batsmen have walked through the Nos. 4 to 6 position in the last eight matches, and there is still confusion over who should occupy it. This is arguably where India lost the last match: at 136 for 2 after 25 overs, on an easy pitch against pedestrian bowling, they looked set for 300, but could make only 60 in the next 16. If not for Ajit Agarkar's blitzkrieg at the end, they might not have reached even 250.

All the more reason then that the players who are candidates for these positions should be given a chance to acclimatize themselves. Dinesh Mongia did well against England down the order, and that's where he should remain. Ditto Sanjay Bangar who, if he remains in the team, will bat No. 6 or 7. Same with SS Das, if he's picked: he is a busy player who could be useful in the middle order, but not higher up, where Tendulkar, Sehwag and Ganguly reside.

Who should open with Ganguly then? Two men in the team – VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid – contend for the No. 3 slot, which often entails coming in very early. Laxman showed himself to be an improved one-day player at Faridabad, and his innings of 75 off 99 deliveries contained only five fours – testimony to how well he ran between the wickets. But the play-with-soft-hands-and-run-like-hell brand of cricket in the middle overs does not come naturally to him, and he is be a misfit below No.3. His penchant to score in boundaries should succeed in the first 15 overs, and Ganguly would do well to ask him to open on Sunday.

A gamble he might also consider is sending in Ajit Agarkar early as a pinch-hitter. His last two one-day innings against Zimbabwe have been: 40 off 26 balls and 67 off 25 balls. It's counter-intuitive to send a potential lower-order matchwinner too early, but in Agarkar's case, an exception could be made. Cricket is a confidence game, and his was shattered so badly when India toured Australia in 1999-2000 that he never quite recovered. He clearly fancies this attack, and if given the space to go for a big one against them, it could transform him entirely. That, certainly, would a long-term gain for India.

Amit Varma is assistant editor of Wisden.com India.

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