Karthik yet to be approved as replacement

The Indian team management is yet to apply for, or receive, official sanction to replace the injured Virender Sehwag with Dinesh Karthik, who was named as the stand-in on Tuesday and is expected to reach the UK on Thursday. While it seems a formality, India will have to convince the ICC that Sehwag suffered or aggravated his injury during the ongoing World Twenty20, while it is well-known that he injured his shoulder during the IPL.

In case of injuries, ICC rules allow players to be replaced after an event has started only if the injury occurred during the tournament, and Sehwag has himself admitted that he suffered the shoulder injury, which has ruled him out of the World Twenty20, during the IPL semi-finals in Johannesburg on May 21.

"The injury occurred during the IPL semi-final (against the Deccan Chargers). I hurt myself while diving to bring off a stop," Sehwag was quoted as saying by the Kolkata Telegraph. "I'll be consulting a specialist in London, where I'll be heading to now. There's nothing that I can do."

Since arriving with the team in England, Sehwag batted in one practice session - on Tuesday, when he faced 12 balls before pulling out due to pain on the shoulder.

When contacted on Wednesday afternoon, Steve Elworthy, the tournament director who is also a member of the event's technical committee, confirmed the ICC was yet to receive an official application from the BCCI. The committee, he said, would consider "how the injury came about" while taking a decision on Sehwag's replacement.

"We will have to look at how the injury came about," Elworthy told Cricinfo. "I can't speculate at this point about what our decision will be but it all depends on the circumstances of the injury. We will have to study the medical report that is provided (to the committee). There is a whole list of criteria involved in such cases."

Sehwag's injury had sparked intense speculation in the Indian media after MS Dhoni, the team's skipper, appeared reluctant to discuss the issue in public. Later, the entire team lined up before reporters at a press conference in a show of unity following reports of a rift on the injury issue between Dhoni and Sehwag, his vice-captain.