Veteran spinner Rangana Herath has been ruled out of the third and final Test starting in Delhi from December 2 after complaining of a sore back. He will be replaced by leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay after first choice replacement Malinda Pushpakumara failed a fitness Test.

 Herath is due to fly home on Thursday.

"We were hoping that Rangana Herath will feel okay for Delhi. But having spoken to him and physio we feel that he should come back. We have got lot of cricket ahead and he is important for us. Our plan was to fly in Malinda Pushpakumara, but he has failed a fitness test. Vandersay will now be the replacement," SLC chief selector Graeme Labrooy has said.

Herath who was Sri Lanka’s leading bowler in recent years failed to impress during the first two Test w here he managed just one wicket for 115 runs.

Herath had also missed the third Test of the home series against India, earlier in August, due to a similar back issue.

Vandersay has played 11 ODIs and seven T20Is for Sri Lanka but is yet to make his Test debut. Sri Lanka have another spin option in their initial squad - the chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan.