The Kenyan batsmen walking out to the middle on Wednesday against India would do well to use Bob Dylan as their signature tune. The song Trying to get to heaven to be more precise. The lines, "When you think that you've lost everything, you find out you can always lose a little more" fit them as snugly as a tight t-shirt would Steve Tikolo. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, you have to question what the Kenyans are doing in this tournament. Perhaps the ICC or the series organisers would be so kind as to enlighten us. Just how exactly are these repeated drubbings supposed to promote cricket in East Africa?

The time spent being made to look like incompetent schoolboys by India and South Africa would have been far better utilised playing matches against the likes of Griqualand West and Boland -- two of South Africa's lesser provincial teams. At least that way we would be spared ridiculous mismatches like the one at Bloemfontein, where the hapless Kenyans resembled shell-shocked victims more than professional cricketers.

Kenya's last match at Kimberley's De Beers Diamond Oval was symptomatic of their troubles. On a pitch as smooth as the proverbial baby's botty, their batsmen acquitted themselves quite well to rack up 229. Ravindu Shah, Maurice Odumbe and Thomas Odoyo all excelled while Tikolo showed glimpses of undoubted class.

The bowling was a different tale -- a horror story at that. Herschelle Gibbs and Lance Klusener plundered the threadbare attack at will, and Boeta Dippenaar used the opportunity to score some easy runs. The Kenyan bowling consisted largely of full-tosses, juicy half-volleys and rank long-hops. As Geoffrey Boycott is so fond of saying, "me mum could've scored a hundred".

Therein lies the problem. Apart from Odoyo, who wouldn't look out of place as the allrounder in a second division county side, the other bowlers would struggle to hold their own in a Sunday pub side. The thought of what Tendulkar and Ganguly could do to them -- if in the mood -- is scary to say the very least.

The ebbing morale in the Kenyan camp was highlighted by Odumbe's polite criticism of the umpiring after Sunday's defeat, comments which led to him being hit with a two-match ban. Rarely can such a mild protest have attracted such a Draconian response. The Kenyans will be without their captain until the final match of the series, and they will also have to do without their manager who was taken to hospital suffering from chest pains.

The Indians are a much happier outfit after that comfortable victory over South Africa at Centurion. Assured of a place in the final alongside the hosts, there is no pressure on them. They will see the stroll against Kenya -- and that's exactly what it promises to be -- as the ideal situation in which to give some of the fringe players an outing.

Javagal Srinath is likely to be rested with one eye on the upcoming Test series and Harvinder Singh should get his chance with the new ball. Let's face it; if he can't get wickets against this lot, he might as well pack it in.

Yuvraj Singh has been down with the flu and Reetinder Singh Sodhi -- his Punjab team-mate -- looks set to replace him in the middle order. Jacob Martin, who didn't get a bat in the last game, should get another opportunity, even if that means Shiv Das remaining on the sidelines.

Whichever team India pick, expect a reshuffled pack and yet another makeshift opening pair. Instead of Sehwag and Dasgupta, who did the honours last time, Sodhi and Martin might stride out first. Not that it matters. Even Sir Donald couldn't have helped this Kenyan team, not with the apology for a bowling attack that they possess.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor, Wisden Online India.

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