Sidelined: Yuvraj Singh © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links News : Sehwag urges youngsters to grab opportunities News : Injured Yuvraj Singh likely to miss first ODI Players/Officials: Yuvraj Singh Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of India Teams: India

Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of the ongoing one-day international series against Sri Lanka because of a finger injury. Yuvraj had picked up the injury while fielding during the second Twenty20 in Mohali and was subsequently unavailable for the first two ODIs.

He has been advised rest for the next two matches of the ODI series after aggravating the worrisome finger and his participation in the forthcoming tri-series in Bangladesh remains in doubt. Yuvraj returned to the starting XI for the third ODI in Cuttack yesterday and scored 23 from 40 balls as India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match contest.

This is the second serious injury he has sustained this year. In September, Yuvraj fractured a finger during a practice session in Johannesburg before India's Champions Trophy got underway. He recovered ahead of the six-week timeline doctors had estimated and played five of seven ODIs against Australia at home before Sri Lanka arrived.

Yuvraj could be replaced by batsman Rohit Sharma, who last week boosted his chances of a national recall with a triple-century for Mumbai against Gujarat during the Ranji Trophy.

The Indian selectors are expected to make an announcement shortly. The fourth ODI is in Kolkata on December 24, followed by the final game in Delhi on December 27.