When the selectors announced India’s squad for the Champions Trophy in May, the immediate reaction was “safe”. No risks were taken. No new names were in the squad. Continuity was the chief theme and not their form in the just-concluded Indian Premier League.

By the evidence of the two warm-up matches India have played so far, the selectors were spot on. IPL form is temporary.

Mohammed Shami, playing in the 50-over format on the international stage for the first time since the 2015 World Cup, has four wickets in two matches. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has six and Umesh Yadav also has four. Granted these were just warm-ups but India’s pacers were so good that the spinners were hardly required.

But there is even more good news. Shikhar Dhawan, back at his favourite tournament, looks back in form with scores of 40 and 60. Hardik Pandya’s bowling has been decent but he played the finisher’s role with élan against Bangladesh on Wednesday. But the best knock undoubtedly came from the bat of Dinesh Karthik.

‘An outstanding batsman’

Karthik made a painful nine-ball duck in the first warm-up against New Zealand and had put it down to his “nervousness” about playing for India after so long. But given another chance against Bangladesh in the second-warm up, he was up to the task. Karthik came in at 21/2, consolidated with Dhawan at the beginning and then launched into an all-out attack by the end, finally retiring on a 77-ball 94.

The icing on his cake was the brilliant one-handed catch when Bangladesh were batting.

The 31-year-old Tamil Nadu veteran, if one could call him that, was not in the original squad and was kept on standby. An injury to Manish Pandey meant he made the flight to the United Kingdom. And with his performance against Bangladesh, he’s already made a strong claim for his inclusion against Pakistan in India’s first match on Sunday.

Kohli even hinted that the wicket-keeper batsman could find a place in the starting XI, calling Karthik an “outstanding batsman”. But if he does play, who will he replace?

India’s openers have already been decided. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have got the captain’s backing and that combination will not be tampered with. Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are certainties. So too is Hardik Pandya. Then if Karthik does play, he will replace either Yuvraj Singh or Kedar Jadhav.

The case for Karthik over Jadhav

First, the case for playing Karthik: He has been in stupendous form. In the 2016’-17 Ranji Trophy, he scored 704 runs at an average of close to 55. Tamil Nadu won both the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy and he scored 854 runs at 85.40. In the IPL, Karthik was Gujarat Lions’ second-highest scorer with 361 runs at a strike rate close to 140.

He also looked in great nick against Bangladesh. But does that automatically mean he will take Yuvraj Singh’s place in the stating XI? Keep in mind that Yuvraj’s health hasn’t been the best. He did not play any of the warm-ups after suffering from fever and only hit the nets after the Bangladesh match. Will Kohli risk playing a Yuvraj Singh sans match practice in a tense clash against Pakistan?

The answer to that is, yes, he will. Kohli has backed Yuvraj Singh, through thick and thin. Full stop. The flamboyant left-hander has always enjoyed the captain’s confidence. Kohli went as far as calling him and Dhoni the “strongest pillars” of Team India, a few days back. And even if you were to point out Yuvraj’s not-so-good form in IPL 2017, it was just two ODIs back that Yuvraj smashed a career-best 150 against England in January, rescuing India from 25/3. If Yuvraj is fully fit, then he will play.

But Kohli isn’t known to bluff, so if he’s hinting that Karthik could play on Sunday, he may well replace Kedar Jadhav.

Yes, Jadhav who’s mostly batted at No 6 in India’s recent matches so far. And yes undoubtedly, the Maharashtra player will have cause to feel a little hard done by. Jadhav has proved himself as both a bowler and a batsman in India’s recent series against New Zealand and England, with the highlight being his crunching 76-ball 120 which ensured his team chased down a massive 356.

Unfortunately, that could be how the cookie crumbles. Jadhav’s off-spin, while being more than useful in India, may not really be required in these overcast conditions in England. And while batting in India is easier, the swing and seam on display here could mean that Kohli could go for the experience of Dinesh Karthik.

Here’s our XI for India vs Pakistan. Who would you pick?

1. Shikhar Dhawan 2. Rohit Sharma 3. Virat Kohli 4. Yuvraj Singh 5. MS Dhoni 6. Dinesh Karthik 7. Hardik Pandya 8. Ravindra Jadeja 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar 10. Mohammed Shami 11. Jasprit Bumrah