— PHOTO: PTI

PLACE FOR ONE: Yuvraj Singh would be hoping that there is no recurrence of his back problem, in which case Dinesh Karthik is likely to sit out.

Mumbai: The next match in the Hero Honda Cup between India and Sri Lanka will be played in Rajkot on Sunday, and the squad for the World Cup will be announced the next day; which is incentive enough for one or two members of the home side to play as if possessed by wilderbeasts.

In particular, India will hope that Virender Sehwag and the injury-plagued Yuvraj Singh can play themselves back into form at short notice. From the Indian team's viewpoint it's a pity that its batsmen didn't get any practice in Kolkata — not that further play might have made any difference to the injured Yuvraj.

Munaf's spell was the one positive that the Indians could take away from the abandoned game. He bowled a tight line, and Jayasuriya found him the toughest bowler to deal with, relatively — which, admittedly, isn't saying much given the form the opener was in.

Increasingly apparent

On the other hand it is becoming more and more apparent that Sreesanth is not naturally suited for one-day cricket. Batsmen like Hayden and Jayasuriya — compulsive cutters and pullers — have ample time (and more importantly, the inclination) to flail their bats against the bowling of the Kerala lad and if the relaid pitches in the West Indies turn out flat and easily negotiable, Sreesanth's facility to exploit seam movement might prove only so much useful.

Sreesanth's economy rate, like Agarkar's, is high; but the Mumbai pacer brings to the side a fair bit of experience, and justified or otherwise, there is also his reputation as a strike bowler to consider.

Dinesh Karthik will probably make way for Yuvraj Singh in the remaining matches of the ongoing series. While Karthik has shown very good attitude and should make the squad to the West Indies, Yuvraj needs to get a look in — his back permitting — as soon as possible. In the larger scheme of things, the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper may not fit in purely as a batsman unless proven match-winners like Sehwag and Yuvraj cannot regain form well into the World Cup.

Testing time

A place for Sehwag has been temporarily found at No. 5; while the middle overs may not suit his aggressive style the team management might yet prevail upon him to rotate strike, get his eye in, use the spread-out field to score a few runs. Unless Sehwag produces something dramatic — and such an event cannot be wholly discounted — Robin Uthappa is unlikely to be disturbed at the head of the batting order, at least until the end of this series.

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