Dravid has surgery, likely to miss South Africa series

Rahul Dravid's participation in the Test series against South Africa looks increasingly unlikely after doctors advised him two to three weeks' rest following surgery on his cheekbone in Bangalore on Friday. He had injured his upper left jaw earlier this week after ducking into a short ball from Shahadat Hossain during the second Test against Bangladesh.

"Rahul Dravid suffered a depressed fracture of the left cheek bone (left zygomatic arch bone) and this was corrected using a standard open approach," the hospital's medical head said. "He will be discharged from hospital and can resume normal activities in about 2 days.

"However, he has been advised not to play cricket or any contact sports for about 2-3 weeks by the treating surgeon. He will be reassessed for fitness on a regular basis."

Dravid is one of three first-choice players injured during the Tests against Bangladesh, the other being Yuvraj Singh (also out for the whole South Africa series) and Sreesanth (likely to be fit for second Test).

Dravid's next cricketing assignment is likely to be the IPL, which starts on March 12.