Tendulkar, 39, called time on his record-shattering 50-over career earlier this month, leaving India with a giant-sized hole to fill in their batting line-up as they prepare for their World Cup defence. India have just over two years to find a replacement for a player who scored a world record 18,526 ODI runs in 463 appearances for his country.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side are, at least, hardly short on candidates to try and fill the role with the likes of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane set to draw the focus of attention after standing in the shadows of Tendulkar at the start of their careers.
Of that trio, Kohli looks the most equipped to handle the pressure set to fall upon India's young batsmen following his stellar 2012.
The 24-year-old is third in the list of ODI run scorers this year with 1,026 runs, and five centuries, in just 16 games.
While Kohli has busied himself becoming India's hero-in-waiting over the past 12 months it could be that a man who has not played since last year's World Cup success is their most important player in the post-Tendulkar era.
The return of veteran Yuvraj Singh to the 50-over squad has almost been overlooked.
The 31-year-old has recovered from his cancer battle, which left him hospitalised in America, to make an emotional return to India colours in recent months.
While his return has not been smooth sailing, he had mixed results as India lost the Test series against England 2-1, he reminded all of his destructive class in Friday's second Twenty20.
Yuvraj's unbeaten 72 from 36 balls, which included seven sixes, blasted India to a Twenty20 series-levelling win and marked him as a man who can hold the fortunes of India's limited-overs teams.
India are not expected to tinker too much with their team composition, with the only exceptions of adding Virender Sehwag at the top and dropping an extra batsman for a specialist spinner. That brings Amit Mishra, who was picked for the ODIs along with Bengal pacer Shami Ahmed, into the picture. And with the Chepauk pitch expected to provide some assistance for spinners, his selection will give Dhoni variety at his disposal.
But who should India drop to include Sehwag? Ajinkya Rahane didn't get a fifty in the T20s, but was impressive at the top. And even if Sehwag is brought in place of Rohit Sharma, where would he bat? Like always, at the top with Gautam Gambhir, with Rahane coming at No. 3? This could be something India will grapple with ahead of the clash.
There is an extra incentive for India going into the first game. Victory on Sunday will put them at the top of the rankings, while a 3-0 clean sweep will firm their grip on that position. But if they go down in any of the encounters, they will have to be satisfied with No 3, the position they are at presently
Pakistan have completely revamped their squad for the ODIs. Misbah-ul-Haq will lead the team, with the seasoned Younis Khan and T20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez providing strength to their batting.
Top-order batsman Imran Farhat has also been brought in along with young Azhar Ali. Left-hander Haris Sohail, who has caught the eye of many with his batting skills in Pakistan lately, may also find a place. Left-arm pacers Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan and right-arm medium Anwar Ali will vie for the vacant spots left by Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Irfan.
With nine of the 14 matches at Chepauk having been won by sides which batted first after winning the toss, both teams will hope to make good use of the pitch by posting a stiff total for the opposition. But weather may play spoilsport as rain is predicted on Sunday.
PROBABLE XIs:
India: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane/ Rohit Sharma/Amit Mishra, R Ashwi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Ishant Sharma
Pakistan: Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Umar Akmal/Haris Sohail, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan/Anwar Ali
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