As rival Parthiv Patel has gone quietly about his tour preparations, Karthik knows all too well that the two Indian selectors who watched him in Colombo and Galle had not been overly impressed by his glovework. And maybe even less by his batting skills.

Certainly India's captain Anil Kumble, a victim in the first Test of some sloppy Karthik wicketkeeping lapses has, along with other spinners around the globe, agreed that such a role is a key position in any Test team. And India with two world-class spinners in the side in Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, reliability is required.

In the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the Test squad for this tour, Karthik and Patel have been given a chance to establish their credentials. For Karthik, however, it has been far from an easy tour.

Kirsten has, however, hinted that no decision has been made on Karthik's Test future or what plans there are for the limited overs series to follow.

"I had a chat with him (Karthik) after the (Galle) Test," Kirsten revealed. "What I can tell you is that no decision has been made about what it is going to happen in the third Test.

"There are plans leading into the next couple of games, but nothing has been decided," he commented. "Also, there is no denying that Dinesh took a (psychological) knock in the last Test match. He made a few errors but people can make errors.

"Sure he has made some errors but he also made contributions, and that's certainly what we try to do with every player in the squad. Talk to them.

Kirsten said that a number of players as well as the management team had talked to the players about their roles. They are not on tour for the fun of it. But in Karthik's case he had been talked to.

"Not just me but a number of guys have sat with him and asked what he is trying to do," Kirsten explained. "Remember too he is a great player of spin bowling. He sweeps quite well and is quite useful in these conditions.

"We have discussed plans but we don't tell them to go and try a certain plan," Kirsten commented.

"Remember, these guys are international cricketers. They need to work out what to do. What I do is offer an opinion and advice (as a coach) when it is sought, but it is the player who also needs to take responsibility for what he does when he goes out there (to bat and keep wicket or bowl)."

Asked it he felt Karthik is disappointed at his performance behind the stumps, Kirsten gave a wry smile.

"You need to ask him that question. He has made errors but he is not the first person to do errors. So it is a question of where he goes from here."

It was on day two of the practice match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club where Karthik had expressed the hope of challenging for a place as regular member of the squad after an accomplished innings of 58 not out against the Sri Lanka Board XI. It was an innings that earned him the nod for the first two Tests in this series,

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But fumbling what have been regulation catches and scoring 33 runs in four innings for an average of 8.5 makes for unpalatable reading, especially the selectors on tour, Sanjay Jagdale and Venkatapathy Raju. These days a wicketkeeper needs to be able to put bigger totals on the board and considered reliable by the spinners.

So much for the rambling ego boost at he gave after that NCC innings where he at least, for a while looked the part and the logical replacement for Dhoni who begged off the tour for what he described at mental fatigue.

Now Karthik has been left stranded by his own over-confidence.

In the first Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club he fell both times to the doosra bowler Muttiah Muralitharan: scores of nine and a duck showed that the level between a practice match and the Test was one step up and which he failed to successfully negotiate.

And while he would be still trying to convince himself that the second innings stroke in the first Test is also a textbook stroke, it even carried the Indian Premier League T20 stamp of disapproval.

In Galle his keeping was marginally better as he did at least take a catch or two, but against the spinners, he often looked clumsy and hesitant missing a stumping. No spinner can feel confident when the man whose job it is to take close catches and effect the occasional stumping, doesn't really fit the role.

It was noticeable that Raju, the left-arm orthodox Test spinner in his day had a long discussion with his fellow selector during the Sri Lanka first innings in Galle and the way he was moving his hands indicated that "Muscles" Raju had problems as well. The question being whether Karthik could read Harbhajan's off-spin and Kumble's flighted leg and top-spin deliveries.

Also, having failed to read Murali in the first Test, Karthik misread mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis in the first innings, but managed a tidy innings, before falling to Murali for a third time in the series in what was a lean match for Murali in terms of wickets.

Normally Murali bowls from the Fort End and takes a pile of wickets: this time he managed only five in the match and Karthik's wicket was one of them.

It is almost four years since, as a 19-year-old Patel last played a Test: against Australia at Nagpur. Since then he has passed school exams and married and that responsibility along suggests he could be ready for a recall in what is a crucial Test this series.

Patel has worked hard but quietly to win back his Test place. He has done well too in the IPL scoring runs against some of the world's top bowlers and keeping wicket to them as well.

There is not too much difference in ages between the two, while Karthik has 21 Tests to Patel's 19. And as Patel has kept quite creditable to Harbhajan and Kumble in the past, he does have the qualifications to do the job possibly better than Karthik.