Rohit Sharma was unable to participate in the SA Tests because of injury. Panchal has been announced as his replacement (ld).

Mumbai, December 13, 2013 : .

Rohit Sharmas injury to his left hamstring during Sunday training has ruled him out of the Test series against South Africa.

Vice-captain Sharma has been replaced by Priyank Panchal, the Gujarat openerYesterday, Rohit Sharma (Team India Test vice captain) suffered a left-hamstring injury in a training session.His participation in the three-match South Africa Test series has been cancelled.

BCCI released a statement saying that Rohit Sharma will be replaced by Priyank Panchal in Test Squad.Sharma, who had just replaced Ajinkya Rahane in Mumbai as vice-captain for the Test team, was also promoted to the position of white-ball captain.

India is now unlikely to win a series in South Africa without Sharmas leadership.Sharma, who had scored 906 runs over 21 innings and an average of 47.68 was Indias top Test cricket run-getter for 2021, reached a record 906.After Joe Root, he was the second highest run-getter for Test cricket.Sharma won the "Player of The Match" award for Indias remarkable run of 127 runs off just 256 balls during the September Test at The Oval.This was a 157-run victory.Panchal, the India A captain, was on a three-four-day tour to South Africa where he played in two matches and scored scores of 96.24, 24 and 0.Panchal was part of India’s expanded squad against England that played in four home Tests in February and March.Panchal, a 31-year old captain of Gujarat cricket, was part of Indias extended squad that played against England in four Tests at home in February and March.India won the match 3-1.Panchal scored 7011 runs in 100 FC matches at an average of 45.52.He also had 24 centuries, 25 half-centuries, and an unbeaten 314 run.The three-match Test series between India and South Africa begins from December 26 to 30 at SuperSport Park in Centurion, followed by the second Test at Wanderers in Johannesburg from January 3 to 7 and the third Test at Newlands in Cape Town from January 11 to 15.Indias Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Priyank Panchal, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Sirajnr #Rohit #Sharma #unable #icipate #injury #Panchal #Mumbai #Cricket #BCCI #ICC #IPL #Sports #Jayant #Uma #Hari #Gujarat #Mumbai #Johannesburg.