Tendulkar returns home early from tour

Sachin Tendulkar has returned early from India's tour of Sri Lanka, and will miss the Twenty20 international on Tuesday. Tendulkar left on Sunday night since he was not part of the Twenty20 squad, team manager Prakash Dixit confirmed.

Tendulkar had a torrid time in the first three games of the tour. Opening the batting, he had scores of 5, 6 and 7, and fell leg-before in all three games. He was rested for the final two ODIs after India won the first three games to seal the series. The five-match contest finished 4-1 in India's favour.

Tendulkar has not been a regular member of the India's teams for the 20-over format. His only Twenty20 international, in December 2006, was on the tour of South Africa, and in 2007 he had opted out of the ICC World Twenty20 along with fellow seniors Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. The team, led by present captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, went on to win the tournament in South Africa.