NEW DELHI (Reuters)
India's wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe is returning home midway through the South African Test tour because of a back injury, an Indian cricket official has said. "He is coming back. He can't recover," Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said by telephone from Bombay.

Dighe joined the squad for the three-Test series but was sidelined on the morning of the first game in Bloemfontein on Saturday because of back spasms. He will return without playing a game after he failed to respond to treatment in South Africa.

Deep Dasgupta, who kept wicket during the one-day series in South Africa and was retained as a back-up for the Tests, made his debut in the game won by South Africa by nine wickets. Shah said the team management had not yet asked for a replacement.

India play a four-day match against South Africa A at East London from Saturday before the final Tests at Port Elizabeth (November 16-20) and Centurion (November 23-27).

Shah also said skipper Sourav Ganguly, who became a father on Saturday, has decided against returning to Calcutta to see his daughter. "We gave him permission to come and see the child, but he has decided not to. He might be needing some practice before the second Test," he said. Ganguly managed only 14 and 30 at Bloemfontein as his recent poor Test batting form continued.

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