The itinerary of this series was in a state of flux for long — dates changed, venues altered — and the whole exercise looks a little pointless at the moment with rain threatening to play spoilsport.

All in all, walking the thin line between feeling rested and looking rusty, Dhoni’s boys head into the year’s first assignment on January 28 with just two practice sessions — one in either country.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have been nation-hopping. They played Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan in succession, made an allowance for this India series in between, and will then head back to Pakistan for Test matches.

In this haphazard battle, being fought only for commercial reasons, it’s now up to the players to bail out the innocent cricket fan.