The extent of Mandhana's injury is yet to be confirmed © Getty

India opener Smriti Mandhana has been ruled out of the three ODIs against South Africa starting on October 9 in Vadodara. Mandhana suffered a fracture in her right toe during a practice session forcing her out of contention. Seam bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar has been drafted in as the replacement.

With India also set to travel to West Indies soon after the end of the South Africa series on October 14, Mandhana's injury will be of concern. But the extent of her injury is yet to be confirmed.

"The call will be taken after assessment by the physios in the NCA and we'll take it as it comes along. It's difficult to fix a timeline right away. She still needs to get an MRI done, for that the swelling has to reduce. So once that is done, an assessment will be done by the head physio at NCA," said WV Raman, head coach of the India Women's team.

Raman also added that Vastrakar has been drafted in to test India's strengths in the all-rounders department.

"We do have a reserve opener in Priya Punia, if Smriti was fit I don't think she would have been playing. So that base is covered. And we also tried to see the kind of all-round talent that we have. That's the reason why she [Vastrakar] is being drafted in," he said.

Skipper Mithali Raj added that with the series not being a part of the ICC Championship, it was an ideal time to test out a new player. "It is an opportunity for someone like Priya Punia to utilise it. It's also an opportunity for the team to give a new player a chance," said Raj.