Yuvraj Singh was on Monday ruled out of the one-day series against South Africa after a medical test revealed a tear in his left knee.

Yuvraj, who was provisionally included in the Indian one-day squad announced for the South Africa tour, will be reassessed again in two weeks to know whether he can take part in the following three-match Test series.

"At this stage Yuvraj will be unable to participate in the upcoming ODI series in South Africa," a statement by BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said.

Yuvraj's place will be taken by wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick.

The left-hander has been advised to follow some exercises and use crutches to take the load off the injured part of his body by Board's medical consultant Dr. Anant Joshi who examined the player in Mumbai on Monday.

"According to Dr Joshi, there is a tear in the interior cruciate ligament with some amount of bruising of the bone in the left knee and there is a swelling of the knee," the statement said.

"The doctor has recommended some exercises and Yuvraj Singh has been advised to use crutches to take the load off the knee," it said.

Yuvraj sustained the injury on the eve of India's crucial Champions Trophy Group A league match against Australia at Mohali, where the hosts bowed out of the competition.

The injury occurred when the team played kho-kho as a warm-up exercise prior to the net session and he had to be helped off the field.