India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan would be out of action for six weeks due to an ankle injury that kept him out of the second Test against Australia which started in Sydney on Wednesday.
"Zaheer Khan is out for six weeks due to his injury," informed selection panel chief Dilip Vengsarkar to reporters in Mumbai before rushing into the Cricket Board's headquarters for a meeting presumably with other BCCI officials.
The injury to the left arm pacer effectively rules him out of the four-Test series against Australia, which India is trailing 0-1 after their massive defeat at Melbourne.
The third and fourth Tests are to be held at Perth and Adelaide later this month.
Before the BCCI announces a replacement, the Board would consider the status of right arm pacer S Sreesanth who is recovering from a shoulder injury that ruled him out when the team for Australia was named in Bangalore on December 12.
Munaf Patel is also likely to be considered even though the lanky pacer missed the flight to Australia as the selectors wanted him to play domestic cricket.
Munaf did not play in Maharashtra's last two Ranji Trophy Elite Division league ties and officials here said they have been uanble to trace the pacer.