Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Saturday slapped with a two ODI ban for slow over-rate during the second One-dayer against Sri Lanka in Nagpur, dealing a huge blow to the home team's prospects in the ongoing five-match series.
International Cricket Council's match referee Jeff Crowe imposed an immediate two match suspension on Dhoni for slow over-rate after conducting a hearing on Friday night.
In the absence of Dhoni, Sehwag has been named the captain for the next two ODIs in Cuttack on December 21 and Kolkata on December 24.
"ICC Match Referee, Jeff Crowe, has imposed an immediate two match suspension on Dhoni for slow over-rate after conducting a hearing last night," the BCCI said in a statement.
The Indian players have been penalised 40 per cent of their match fees. The Indian team for the next two ODIs will be led by Sehwag," the brief statement added.
The thrilling second One-dayer ended about 45 minutes after the scheduled finish time because of frequent discussions between the Indian players during the closing stages of Sri Lanka's chase.
The decision to ban Dhoni was taken by match referee Crowe of New Zealand, considering the quantum of extra time the Indians took to complete their allotted overs.
Dinesh Karthik replaces Dhoni
Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik was included in the Indian team for next two cricket one-dayers against Sri Lanka as a replacement for the charismatic Dhoni, who has been forced to sit out because of a two-match ODI ban.
Karthik featured in India's Twenty20 squad against the Lankans.
The ODI squad has only one specialist stumper in Dhoni and Karthik's inclusion is obvious.
The five-match series is currently tied 1-1 after India won the first match in Rajkot by three runs, while the Sri Lankans snatched a thrilling three-wicket victory in the second game on Friday.
Dhoni's unavailability will be a big setback for the Indians as he has been in great touch in the recent series against the islanders, scoring 72 and 107 in two matches played so far.
The ICC is yet to make an official announcement under what clauses Dhoni had been banned.
"Once we get a detailed report from the match referee Jeff Crowe we will issue a statement giving all the details," an ICC spokesman said from Dubai.
Ishant recalled in place of Sreesanth
Lanky pacamen 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.
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.
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.
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 and Pragyan Ojha.
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