Mohali, October 31:

India’s dashing middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of next month’s one-day series in South Africa, the cricket board said on Tuesday.

Yuvraj suffered a tear in his left knee during a warm-up ahead of Sunday’s Champions Trophy clash against Australia and was rushed to Mumbai to see the board’s medical consultant Anant Joshi.

Yuvraj will be examined again in two weeks to determine if he will be available for the subsequent three-Test series in South Africa, Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Niranjan Shah said.

“According to the doctor, there is a tear in the interior cruciate ligament with some amount of bruising of the bone in the left knee and there is also a swelling of the knee,” said Shah. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthick, who was put on stand-by on Monday, will take Yuvraj’s place in the 16-man squad which leaves for South Africa on November 13.

Seamer Ajit Agarkar, who broke his left thumb against the West Indies last week, will undergo a fitness test on November 10 in Mumbai, Shah added.

If Agarkar is declared unfit, he will be replaced by young fast bowler Vikram Rajvir Singh.

India begin the six-week tour with a practice match against South Africa ‘A’ in Benoni on November 16.

The five one-dayers will be played in Johannesburg (Nov 19), Durban (Nov 22), Cape Town (Nov 26), Port Elizabeth (Nov 29) and Centurion (December 3). A Twenty20 international, India’s first, will be held in Johannesburg on December 1 between the fourth and fifth one-dayer. The three Tests will be played in Johannesburg (December 15-19), Durban (Dec 26-20) and Cape Town (January 2-6).