Laxman being sent to South Africa to add depth to batting

Mumbai, Nov 27 (UNI) Stylish middle order batsman V V S Laxman is being sent to South Africa to add stability and depth to the struggling Indian batting line-up following the withdrawal of captain Rahul Dravid from the remaining One-Day Internationals due to a fracture in his finger.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Niranjan Shah told UNI here today that Laxman is being sent to South Africa not as a replacement for the captain but to add stability to the middle order which has not been performing upto their potential in this series so far.

Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the last two ODIs with a fracture in his finger which he suffered while batting in the third one-dayer yesterday.

Virender Sehwag, who himself has just come out of a finger injury and is struggling for runs, will lead the side at Port Elizabeth on November 29 and at Centurion on December 3.

Dravid, however, would remain with the team as physio John Gloster's report suggests that he would be fit in time for the first Test beginning on December 15 in Johannesburg.

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