"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named S. Badrinath as VVS Laxman's replacement in the Indian team for the Test series against New Zealand, which commences at Hyderabad on 23 August 2012," secretary Sanjay Jagdale was quoted as saying by a BCCI media release.
Badrinath, who is just 10 days shy of being 32, has played two Test matches against South Africa back in 2010 with his highest being 56 in his debut Test. He last played for India in an ODI against West Indies in Antigua in June, last year.
Badrinath has been a prolific scorer in the domestic circuit having scored 7836 runs with an average 60.74 with 28 centuries.
Badrinath will join the squad at the earliest.