Tendulkar, who has been in superb form, has been ruled out of the match due an abdomen injury but the visitors have the batting might to still get past the Kiwis who have no option but to win the match to stay afloat in the series.

The MRI scan done on India's premier batsman has revealed internal bleeding in his stomach.

"I had stiffness in the region before the third ODI, but I had stretched myself too far. But I should be ready to play in a couple of days time," Tendulkar said.

Considering the momentum the Indians have gained since the debacle in the Twenty20 series, the Blackcaps would have to produce something more than their best to stop the marauding visitors at the Seddon Park on Wednesday.

If they succeed, Vettori's men would have served notice as another potential match-winning unit to be reckoned with in the future.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's troops have been playing a sort of firebrand cricket as there is self-belief, confidence and camaraderie.

In the past, Indians were regarded as paper tigers on tours. But now they are stalking and devouring national team wherever they travel, be it to the antipodes, the African bushveld, Old Blighty or the Caribbean

Indian cricket has never been so good, so consistent and so dominating. The results have been remarkably encouraging over the last two years or so.

The Kiwis would take comfort from the fact that Tendulkar, who had aggravated an abdomen injury during his delightful 163 before he retired hurt at Christchurch, would be rested.

However, the return of Ishant Sharma, who should replace Munaf Patel, will lend more thrust to the Indian attack, which seemed to wilt under the early and late Kiwi onslaught in the third ODI at Christchurch.

The bean pole-like speedster, who had hurt his right shoulder while fielding in the second T20, has not played a game in February 27.

But he had a good bowl at the nets, suggesting he was ready to re-establish his partnership with Zaheer Khan. It will be an interesting battle between this highly-regarded Indian new ball pair and the Kiwi openers, Brendon McCullum and Jesses Ryder.

The flightless Kiwis strove to take wings at Christchurch, battering the Indian attack, as had Sanath Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharna done of it in the 90s.

Ryder's pyrotechnics was a revelation as he literally butchered Zaheer, Praveen and Munaf, whose dibbly-dobblies he dispatched to the pickets with utter contempt.

Ryder is one to watch. While thundering to his maiden one-day hundred (105), the burly left-hander made it loud and clear to bowlers around the globe that he could destroy any attack on his day.

But he has to be a lot more consistent to win the respect of the bowling tribe.

New Zealand do have a couple of more young batters who could make a mark in international cricket soon. But at this point in time, it is the Indian batting which holds court in the series.

Teams (From):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik.

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Grant Elliot, Peter McGlashan, Iain O'Brien, Kyle Mills, Ewen Thompson, Jeetan Patel.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen, Gary Baxter. Third umpire: Evan Watkin.

Fourth umpire: C Gaffaney.