Wriddhiman Saha ruled out of the Test series; Dinesh Karthik to replace him

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha, who has a vital cog in India's Test team over the last two years, has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series against South Africa due to a hamstring injury.

The selectors have named Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik as his replacement and the right-hander will fly to the rainbow nation before the start of the third Test.

Saha, who took 10 ten catches in the first Test against the Proteas at the Newlands in Cape Town, was left out of the side for the second Test in Centurion and the Indian skipper Virat Kohli revealed that the "Bengal glove has a niggle in his hamstring and the team management is not willing to risk him in the Test" when he walked out for the toss on day one.

A few moments back, BCCI released a statement regarding Saha's injury and added that the BCCI medical team will monitor his progress.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Dinesh Karthik as the replacement for Wriddhiman Saha for the third and final Test against South Africa. He is set to join the team before the third Test. Mr. Wriddhiman Saha suffered an upper left hamstring tendon injury during training on Thursday, January 11. The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor his progress," the statement said.

Karthik, who has been a regular in the Indian limited-overs of late, last played a Test for India in 2010 when MS Dhoni's men took on Bangladesh in Chittagong. India's second wicketkeeper in the squad, Parthiv Patel, has been struggling in the ongoing second Test as he has already dropped three catches and Karthik's inclusion will give the team management some relief as the 32-year-old is more reliable than Parthiv and can get the team some runs with the bat.