 When the team for the three Tests at home to Sri Lanka was announced, Karthik was dropped in place of Dhoni. In ten Tests since his debut, Karthik had managed only 245 runs at an average of 18.84 with only one half-century and one other score beyond 25. In contrast, Dhoni's had been a prolific run-scorer in ODIs, and had won the man of the series award against Sri Lanka and scored 183 not out in one match.
