Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik [Images] was on Monday ruled out of action for at least three weeks after he suffered a ligament tear of his left ankle during the Deodhar Trophy encounter between Central Zone and North Zone in Bangalore.

"Kartik got a ligament tear following a fall. He can't definitely play for three weeks. After that, an assessment will have to be made. It takes one-and-a-half months to get the tear alright," Dr Chetan Rai said.

• I'm fully fit, says Harbhajan

Kartik, who had the MRI done at the Hosmat Hospital, figured in the 14-member Indian squad for the first two Tests against South Africa, announced by BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.

Shah had said Piyush Chawla would be the replacement in case Kartik and Harbhajan Singh [Images] (who will undergo fitness test in Bangalore on March 21) are not fit.