KOLKATA, Dec 28: India suffered a setback on Sunday when frontline paceman Zaheer Khan was ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Test series in Australia as well as an upcoming triangular tournament.

“Zaheer is nursing an injury to his left hamstring and has been advised not to play for at least four to six weeks,” cricket board secretary S.K. Nair announced on Sunday.

“Thus, we did not consider him for the tri-series,” said Nair, who announced a 16-member side for the one-day tri-series, which will also feature Zimbabwe.

Zaheer suffered the injury during the ongoing third Test at Melbourne and is not expected to take further part in the series.

The one-day team was decided after the selectors held a tele-conference with the team management in Australia.

In the absence of Zaheer, left-armers Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji will be the pacers apart from all-rounders Ajit Agarkar and Sanjay Bangar.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik would be the specialist spinners in the absence of injured off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan will, however, remain with the team as he needs to be treated for a finger injury in Australia.

“Harbhajan has been asked to stay back in Australia till the end of the tournament as he will be treated by physiotherapist Andrew Leipus for a finger injury,” Nair said.

One-day specialists Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif will join the players already in Australia along with left-hand batsman Hemang Badani, all of whom played in a tri-series in India last month.

Bangar last turned out for India in a triangular tournament in Dhaka in May.

The players due to return from Australia after the Tests are openers Akash Chopra and Sadagoppan Ramesh and wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta, apart from Zaheer.

The tournament gets under way on Jan 9.

Squad: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Hemang Badani, Parthiv Patel, Ajit Agarkar, Sanjay Bangar, Murali Kartik, Anil Kumble, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan, Laxmipathi Balaji.—AFP