SA elect to bat first, Kumble ruled out

South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final cricket Test against India in Kanpur on Friday.

The Indians suffered a huge jolt on Friday morning when captain Anil Kumble had to pull out of the crucial game because of a groin injury, leaving Mahendra Singh Dhoni to lead the Test team for the first time.

Young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was included in the team in place of the injured Kumble, while the hosts made two other changes in the team which lost the second Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 90 runs in just three days.

Yuvraj Singh was drafted into the team in place of paceman Rudra Pratap Singh while speedster Ishant Sharma, who was declared fit on Thursday, took Irfan Pathan's place in the side.

The South Africans, leading the three-match series 1-0, retained the same team that did duty in Ahmedabad.

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