Dinesh Karthik Has Become The One-Stop Replacement

Dinesh Karthik was the first to pad up on Monday. It prompted his team mates to ask the wicketkeeper-batsman, Virender Sehwag's replacement, if he had been in Colombo all the while. Karthik had taken the early morning flight and landed in Colombo at 5 am. He drove to Dambulla just in time for practice. The fringe players in the squad aren't sure if they will get a look in for the inconsequential league game against Sri Lanka, but Karthik's name should be on the team sheet.

At the moment, Karthik is the man selectors turn to whenever a replacement has to be found at short notice. Here, he has come in as the reserve opener for Sehwag. He's kept wickets for Dhoni and played in place of Yuvraj Singh. Whether it is Tests, ODIs or T20s Karthik has become the one-stop replacement.

Karthik came in for Gambhir on two occasions Mohali versus Australia in 2009 and against South Africa in 2010. During the 2006 tour to South Africa, he was picked to replace Yuvraj Singh. Karthik replaced Dhoni for the 2009 series against South Africa, when he was banned for slow over rate and also when Dhoni opted out of the Test series in Sri Lanka. Karthik replaced Sehwag in 2009 for the World T20.

Dress rehearsal

The game against Sri Lanka will be a dress rehearsal for the final. The two countries have played each other often in the recent past and are set to meet again in a Test series and a tri-series from next month. So keeping track of who is getting the better of who is becoming a blur.

Yet, these games, more so league matches like these wherein nothing much is at stake, provide teams with an opportunity to field some of the younger players. Saurabh Tiwary, the hard-hitting youngster, has been the drinks man so far. On Monday he had a knock in the nets and also got a pep talk from Dhoni. However, it is Pragyan Ojha and Ashok Dinda who are tipped to play, while off-spinner R Ashwin may not be seen in action.

Seeking all-rounders

Though India's search for the elusive all-rounder remains unfulfilled, one of these fringe players could grab a berth if they produce a string of impressive showings in the run-up to the World Cup.

Harbhajan Singh, who scored the winning six in a tense game against Pakistan, doesn't want the tag attached to his name. "I'm not an all-rounder. I'm a bowler, who can bat a bit, and I want to keep it like that. There is only one all-rounder India has produced and that is Kapil Dev. We haven't since even produced an all-rounder half as good as Kapil," Harbhajan said.

The immediate focus will be on Tuesday's game. Sri Lanka are the defending champions and India will want to put one past them before the final. Sri Lanka have landed some hurtful blows in big matches, including the 1996 World Cup semi-final and also during the 2007 World Cup and the last edition of the World Twenty20.

In the recent tri-series in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka prevailed again. The win against Pakistan was a morale booster but India would want to take home the Asia Cup. No one will complain if one or more of the fringe players perform and present their case for a larger role over the next few months. Tuesday may turn out to be one such day.