Kanpur, Nov. 19: Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows his cricket well. Two matches into the seven-match one-day series against England and India haven’t put a foot wrong yet. The skipper is ensuring there are no let-ups as the hosts gear up for the third one-dayer at the Green Park Stadium here on Thursday.

On top of his mind is the single-minded determination to win and Dhoni made his intentions clear. "I live in the present; the past and future hold no bearing for me," said the Ranchi lad.

And with pacer Ishant Sharma declared fit for the third game, Dhoni is sitting pretty. Fresh after a morale-boosting Australia series win, India have handed out similar treatment to the Englishmen, not letting the momentum wither.

Yuvraj Singh has been in mesmerising form, openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have given dream starts, and the bowlers have stuck to the job, not giving any leeway to the dangerous duo of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.

Thursday’s game will bring India yet another step closer to winning the series, as the visitors have a lot to sort out. Struggling to get their batting order right — experts feel that skipper Pietersen should move up the order to bolster the lineup — England have suffered in the absence of injured pacer Ryan Sidebottom.

India, on the other hand, have their plate full. The morning began with the news of Sharma being match fit. The lanky pacer rolled his arm over for close to two hours and showed no signs of discomfort.

Though Dhoni was non-committal on Sharma’s inclusion in the final XI, local lad R.P. Singh, who hasn’t been in the best of form, is likely to make way for the Delhi pacer.

Said Dhoni after nets here on Wednesday, "Ishant is a special talent and is available for selection tomorrow. At the same time, we need to preserve him and ensure he has a long career."

For England, Pietersen will have a lot to iron out if they are to stop the Indian juggernaut. After the massacre at Rajkot, England made a match of it in Indore, but failed to go the full distance.

Pietersen and Flintoff showed the form they are known for, after pacer Stuart Broad did the trick early on — the 22-year old sending the top three Indian batsmen to pavilion at the score of 29. But the visitors know they will need a special effort on Thursday to keep their chances alive.

England might have given their all when it comes to spirit, but one man who’s stood between them and success is Yuvraj Singh. If his back-to-back centuries were not enough, the Punjab youngster followed it up with an impressive four-wicket haul to add to the misery.

England can also take heart from the manner they have fought so far and kept their chins up. On a pitch that promises to be a batsman’s paradise, the top order — Ian Bell, Matt Prior and Owais Shah — will need to come good. The team will also bank upon the experience of Pietersen and Flintoff, who can tear apart any attack on their day.

Spinner Graeme Swann is a certainty — named in the 12-man squad on the day — and was one of the key components in England’s series win in Sri Lanka last year. Off-colour spinner Samit Patel is likely to make way for him. There are also doubts on the availability of Ravi Bopara (suffering from an upset stomach).

Said Swann, "We will bat first if we win the toss. Even if that doesn’t happen, we’ve got to win this match at any cost."