India cannot afford to repeat Ahmedabad follies in Kanpur

Their batting inconsistency and bowling frailties laid bare in the hard-earned draw in Ahmedabad, India will go into the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday hoping not to repeat the follies again.

Their batting inconsistency and bowling frailties laid bare in the hard-earned draw in Ahmedabad, India will go into the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday hoping not to repeat the follies again.

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The famed Indian batting lineup both embarrassed and redeemed itself in the Ahmedabad shirtfront, where it collapsed like a house of cards in the first innings and then rose from its ruins in the second to salvage a draw from the jaws of a seemingly imminent defeat.

But to expect such resurgence everyday would be to invite trouble and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men would do well to learn the lessons from their Ahmedabad escapade and mend their way.

On a placid track where nearly 1600 runs were scored, including seven centuries -- a subcontinental record - and just 21 wickets fell over five days, nothing could gloss over the Indian top order's inconsistency.

The Indian camp has called in wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh karthik as cover for captain Dhoni who is nursing a minor finger injury.

The Indian stumper hurt his finger in the Ahmedabad Test but the team management said it was not a serious injury and the Indian captain was likely to take the field on the morrow.

The fact that Dhoni batted and bowled in yesterday's practice session was proof that the injury was not serious.