Irfan replaces Vinay Kumar in squad for Lanka series

Baroda all-rounder Irfan Pathan will replace Karnataka fast bowler R Vinay Kumar in India's squad for the tour of Sri Lanka.

Vinay suffered a Grade I right hamstring injury while training on July 12 and had to be withdrawn from the squad that will play five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 match on the tour, which commences with the first ODI on July 21 at Hambantota.

"R Vinay Kumar suffered a Grade I right hamstring injury while training on 12th July, 2012. He will hence not be available for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. He is expected to regain match-fitness in three weeks," read a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Friday.

India will be without the services of ace bstamsn Sachin Tendulkar, who opted out of the series.

Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane, who impressed during the last edition of the Indian Premier League, were named in the 15-member Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led squad, as were pacer Ashok Dinda, leg-spinner Rahul Sharma and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Pragyan Ojha, who replaced out-of-form all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, is the third spinner in the squad.

Virat Kohli is Dhoni's deputy on the tour.

The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, R Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Manoj Tiwary, Umesh Yadav, Rahul Sharma, Pragyan Ojha.