Karthik replaces Dhoni, Ishant recalled

Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik was on Saturday included in the Indian team for the next two One-dayers against Sri Lanka as a replacement for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been forced to sit out because of a two-match ODI ban.

Lanky pacemen Ishant Sharma has also been recalled into the squad in place of fellow pacer S Sreesanth who has been out of action since testing positive for swine flu.

These were the only two changes made in the squad announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a selection committee meeting in Chennai.

Yuvraj Singh, who has not played a single match because of a finger injury and flu, has been retained in the squad, which is an indication that the elegant left hander was expected to be fit for the remaining three matches of the five-match series.

Karthik will keep wickets for the third and fourth matches after Dhoni was banned for two ODIs with immediate effect for the team's slow over-rate during the second One-dayer in Nagpur.

The third One-dayer is scheduled to be played in Cuttack on December 21 while the historic Eden Gardens will be the venue for the fourth match on December 24. The five-match series is currently tied 1-1.

Team for third and fourth ODIs:

Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suresh Raina, Ravinder Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Virat Kohli, Sudip Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha.