Sri Lanka, beaten in the first three games, must win the fourth one-dayer at the Nehru Stadium here on Thursday to stay afloat in the seven-match series.

Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup, believes poor tactics and lack of commitment by Marvan Atapattu's men had placed the world's second-ranked side in a precarious position.

"I am disappointed with a few of our tactics," Ranatunga wrote in his column for the Press Trust of India. "The bowling and fielding have been unimaginative and routine.

"If the team is honest they would admit Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena alone have been leading the batting charge in recent months.

"Others need to pull their weight. This Indian side can only be subdued by 11 charged and committed men, marauding like a hungry pack of wolves.

"Otherwise, I suspect a 7-0 drubbing, so much has Sri Lanka fallen behind in the present series," Ranatunga wrote.

In a further blow to the tourists vice-captain Jayawardena will miss Thursday's crucial match, having been granted leave to fly home to Colombo to get married.

He will return in time for the fifth match in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Ranatunga has been impressed by India's remarkable rise under new captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell after losing two one-day finals -- to Sri Lanka and New Zealand -- earlier in the season.

India thrashed the Sri Lankans by 152 runs in the first match in Nagpur and won the second by eight wickets in Mohali. They then rode on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's brilliant 183 not out to surpass a challenging target of 299 for the loss of only four wickets in the third game in Jaipur on Monday.

"It is time to take a serious note of India," Ranatunga wrote.

"They did not panic or change their approach in Jaipur. They came out swinging and showed the surge of belief which is running through their veins.

"A seriously good team is in the making now. Batting is flexible and is being groomed to adapt to different situations and different slots.

"The opposition will struggle to plan in advance. Bowling and fielding are both on the mend. India's rise has taken the world by surprise."

Ranatunga said the reason for India's success was the competition for spots in the team.

"When a senior pro like Sourav Ganguly cannot find a place, and he would soon I am sure, it brings the hunger back in the team," he said.

Former captain Ganguly, one of only four players in the world to score more than 10,000 one-day runs, was not picked despite scoring a century in a domestic first-class match last month.