Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was today banned for two one-day internationals for the team's slow over-rate during the second one-dayer against Sri Lanka here yesterday.
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, prompting the International Cricket Council to impose the ban on the Indian captain.
The decision to ban Dhoni was taken by match referee Jeff Crowe of New Zealand, considering the quantum of extra time the Indians took to complete their alloted overs.
Formal announcement from the ICC is expected soon.
It was still not known whether the two-match ban would come into effect immediately.
In case the ban comes into effect immediately, it will be a huge set-back for the Indians in the ongoing series with three matches still remaining to be played.
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 here yesterday.
In the charismatic Dhoni's absence, opener Gautam Gambhir is likely to be named the captain for the two matches to be held in Cuttack on Dec 21 and in Kolkata on Dec 24.
The BCCI, however, has not made any official announcement yet on who will take over the captaincy in case Dhoni's ban comes into effect immediately.
