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NEW DELHI, Thursday (Reuters) - Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra has become India's latest injury casualty for a one-day triangular series in South Africa next month, an Indian cricket official said on Wednesday.

"He has been found unfit by (sports medicine expert) Dr Anant Joshi," Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jaywant Lele told Reuters.

Nehra's absence from the South African tour follows earlier injuries to fellow pace bowler Zaheer Khan and batsmen Vangipurappu Laxman and Hemang Badani.

The Indian squad leaves for South Africa on Monday to play in the tri-nations tournament, which also involves Kenya, from October 5-26.

India are also scheduled to play a three-test series against South Africa in November after the one-day series.

Nehra, 22, has been struggling to recover from a groin strain which forced him to miss the three-test series in Sri Lanka that ended earlier this month.

Joshi, who has been asked by the BCCI to hold the fitness tests, assessed Nehra and Khan in the southern city of Madras on Tuesday during pre-tour training under former Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee.

Lele said medium-pacer Harvinder Singh would come into the tour squad for Khan and Jacob Martin for Badani.

Chief selector Chandu Borde said Nehra's replacement will be chosen from among three medium-pacers -- uncapped Rakesh Patel, Debasish Mohanty and Ajit Agarkar.

He said the trio would be assessed by national selectors when the South Africa-bound squad undergo fitness tests in Bombay on Saturday and Sunday.

Tough tours

Borde, a former test all-rounder, criticised players who continued to play despite injuries, leaving them with little time to recover ahead of tough tours like the one to South Africa.

"We are helpless. Players should know whether they are injured and immediately take precaution, not continue playing," he told Reuters on phone from the western city of Pune.

"Now there is not enough time to recover. If some of them continue playing with injuries, this is the fruit," he said.

Laxman suffered a right knee ligament tear in July during the early phase of India's Sri Lankan tour, but went on to play in a one-day tri-series in Colombo which India lost to the hosts in the final.

He then underwent arthroscopy in Australia last month and informed the BCCI he was withdrawing from the one-day squad because he had not fully recovered.

Khan, who has performed consistently since making his India debut late last year, complained of pain on his landing right foot in Sri Lanka but played in both the one-dayers and in a subsequent test series.

Nehra also complained of pain in his left groin in the final phase of a test tour of Zimbabwe which ended early in July, but played in the Sri Lankan one-dayers before being asked to rest.

Asked who should held responsible, Borde said: "They (the players) themselves must decide and come out truthfully."

He said Nehra and Khan would be missed on the pacy pitches in South Africa, but felt experienced pacemen Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad would be able to lead the Indian attack.

Leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar has just recovered from a foot fracture and leg-spinner Anil Kumble is making a comeback after being sidelined for almost a year because of a shoulder injury which needed surgery.

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