Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh miss first Test for India
India will be without the injured duo of Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh for the first Test against South Africa, which starts on 6 February.Batsman Dravid is out for three weeks with a fractured cheekbone after being hit by a short delivery during the second Test against Bangladesh.
All-rounder Yuvraj injured a wrist in the same game and will miss the two-Test series against the Proteas.
Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and paceman Abhimanyu Mithun are included.
Dravid's participation in the second Test, due to start in Kolkata on 14 February, is also in doubt after he was advised three weeks' rest.
VVS Laxman, who suffered a hand injury during the first Test in Chittagong, has been included in the squad, but fast bowler Sreesanth has been left out because of a hamstring injury.
Subramaniam Badrinath has been recalled in place of Dravid, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni will once again captain the side from behind the stumps.
South Africa were originally scheduled to play only five one-dayers in India, but the itinerary was revised to include Tests following India's ascent to the top of the International Cricket Council's rankings for Test nations late last year.
The Proteas' preparations for the series, meanwhile, have been thrown into turmoil after the departure of head coach Mickey Arthur earlier this week.
Arthur confirmed he had resigned from his post on Wednesday citing differences with Cricket South Africa as the reason, with Corrie van Zyl installed as caretaker coach for the India tour.
CSA has also sacked the country's selection committee chaired by Mike Procter.
CSA chief executive Gerald Majola will take charge of an emergency selection panel for the tour.
India squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Sudeep Tyagi, Pragyan Ojha, Abhimanyu Mithun, Wriddhiman Saha.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk
