NEW DELHI (Reuters)
Top batsman Vangipurappu Laxman has withdrawn from the Indian squad for a one-day tri-series in South Africa because he has yet to regain fitness after a knee surgery, an Indian cricket official has said.

Left-hander Hemang Badani, who was a standby, will replace Laxman in the 15-player squad, Jaywant Lele, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India said by telephone from the western city of Baroda. The Indian squad leaves for South Africa on September 24 to play in the October 5-26 one-day tournament also involving Kenya.

Laxman has been recuperating in Australia since undergoing arthroscopy in Sydney last month for a right knee ligament tear suffered in Sri Lanka in July. The batsman was scheduled to return home to face a two-day fitness test announced for all the team members over the weekend, but informed team coach John Wright about his decision.

"He spoke to John Wright in New Zealand he informed me that he has not recovered fitness," Lele said. The fitness tests for the other players like leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday and Sunday, he added.

Laxman, who hit India's highest Test score of 281 to spark India's comeback 2-1 victory over Australia at home early this year, suffered the injury in Sri Lanka in July. Despite that, he played in a one-day tri-series there but withdrew from a following three-Test series which Sri Lanka won 2-1.

Laxman's withdrawal comes as a setback to the Indians because several other players are also recovering from injuries and have been asked to pass fitness tests to be held over the weekend to be cleared for the trip. Tendulkar has just recovered from a hairline fracture on his right foot which sidelined him for the Sri Lankan tour. Leg-spinner Anil Kumble is bidding to return, having been sidelined for almost a year because of a shoulder injury for which he underwent surgery in January. Paceman Javagal Srinath (left hand fracture), left arm pacemen Zaheer Khan (shin trouble), Ashish Nehra (groin) and skipper Sourav Ganguly (abdominal muscle strain) are also recovering from injuries.

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