Down by the ever growing list of injured players, but excited by the much improved performance in the washed out first match, India will take on England in the second ODI in Southampton on Tuesday with mixed feelings. As the team's key players - Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Ishant Sharma - are already nursing their injuries at home, a fractured finger of Rohit Sharma and an old toe injury having been flared up moments before the start of the first ODI to Sachin Tendulkar, sent jitters amongst the team members.

And though it's not official whether the little master is also out from the remainder of the England tour, like his Munbai teammate Rohit, it is more or less certain that neither Sachin nor the BCCI will take any chance on this matter. But will this affect the chance of the side in the upcoming matches? Had it been the team of the nineties, we could have already put a stamp over its fate by now, but the dogged nature of this side, which enjoys challenges without being perturbed much by the goings-on around it, won’t allow our minds to take the pessimistic path.

Settled opening pair Ahead of the game at Durham, Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane were fighting it out for a lone spot available at the top of the batting order with Tendulkar, but an injury to the maestro opened the gates for both, and the two grabbed it with both hands. The diminutive Parthiv, who has seen more downs than ups in his decade-long career, seemed like waiting to display his improved self while Rahane, after scoring tons of runs in the domestic circuit, was also looking to get his first chance in ODI cricket to make a mark.

The two batsmen not only gave India a brilliant start (82 runs) but also sent a stern message to the opposite camp that falling to short balls is not a perennial problem of the Indian batsmen. Both of them played pulls and hooks with comfort, besides hitting an array of other attacking strokes. Opportunity for the Tiwarys, Rainas and Kohlis to shine Despite losing the wickets of Rahane and Rahul Dravid in quick succession, Patel and Virat Kohli kept the Indian scoreboard ticking in the first game. And though Rohit's injury had cost them 20-30 runs at the end, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni tried their best to take India to a fighting total.

Just like Parthiv and Rahane, Manoj Tiwary - the Bengal attacking batsman who has replaced the injured Rohit in the side - should also make it count if the opportunity knocks at his door. The 25-year-old has been rewarded for his good run in the recent Emerging Players tournament in Australia where he was the top run-getter for the Indians.

The visitors will also expect their tailenders to swat a few lusty blows if they get a chance like the last match. Aaron for Vinay Kumar? In the abandoned encounter on Saturday, R Vinay Kumar started the bowling with Praveen Kumar. And though he didn't bowl badly, he also didn't look exceptional or someone who can trouble the English batsmen on a consistent basis.

And although it seems difficult that Dhoni will tinker with the bowling composition, young pacer Varun Aaron, with his lively pace, poses a welcome dilemma if the Indian captain thinks otherwise. Adjusting with the cold weather Had there been no injuries like the ones witnessed so far on the tour, most of the Indian players by now would have adjusted better to the chilling English weather. But the players' injury list, which is increasing with each match, has made it imperative for the new faces to turn up and acclimatise within a limited time period.

And being a day-night contest, it will be a real challenge for the players to adjust with the freezing temperature which is expected to go below 10 degrees at night. The challenges could be many, but this young limited-over team has shown time and again what they are capable of doing when pushed to the corner. And the millions of Indian fans will hope them turning the corner even this time around.

India's probable XI: Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C/wk), R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar/ Varun Aaron, Munaf Patel .England's probable XI: Alastair Cook (c), Craig Kieswetter (wk), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jade Dernbach