Tendulkar ruled out of series

Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the remainder of India's tour of England, and is likely to miss Mumbai Indians' Champions League campaign as well, after a visit to a specialist in London confirmed that he will require four to six weeks' of rest to recover from an inflamed big toe on his right foot. S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu batsman, has been named as Tendulkar's replacement.

Tendulkar's injury, which was caused by the aggravation of a former fracture, flared up on the eve of the first ODI at Chester-le-Street, and means that Tendulkar's quest for that elusive 100th international hundred, which has been hanging over him all tour, will not now be resumed until England's tour of India in October, at the earliest.

"It was the injury that he had in 2001 and it flared up in Durham," said an Indian team official. "He went to a specialist in London and we got the news he would not be taking any further part in the one-day series anymore and he might need rest for four to six weeks."

The news brings to an end a frustrating tour for Tendulkar, in which he showed glimpses of form during India's 4-0 whitewash in the Test series without ever recapturing the presence at the crease he had displayed during India's victorious World Cup campaign. He made 273 runs in the series at 34.12, with a highest score of 91 in the second innings at The Oval.

Tendulkar's exit opens up an opportunity for the 31-year-old Badrinath, who flopped in the West Indies in June on his comeback to the one-day side after three years. He made 40 runs in three innings before being dropped for the final match of the series.

India have been rocked by a series of injuries on this tour of England, beginning with Zaheer Khan's hamstring pull on the first day of the Lord's Test. Following his withdrawal from the series, the BCCI said he not only suffered from a recurring hamstring problem, but also required surgery on his right ankle. Yuvraj Singh fractured a finger on his left hand, while Harbhajan Singh strained his stomach muscle during India's crushing defeat in the second Test at Trent Bridge, ruling them out of the rest of the tour.

Opener Virender Sehwag, it was understood, had not completely recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent immediately after the IPL in May, and was suffering from hearing problems in his left ear, after being exposed to a loud sound on July 24, according to the team management. In another major setback, Gautam Gambhir failed to recover from a concussion he picked up while fielding on the third day of the final Test, subsequently missing the limited-overs leg of the tour. He had also missed the second Test at Trent Bridge after being struck on the elbow at Lord's.

Praveen Kumar had also joined India's long list of injured, missing the fourth Test at The Oval because of an injury to his left ankle, before recovering in time for the Twenty20 international on August 31. Ishant Sharma wasn't as fortunate, returning home after the Tests following a ligament injury to his left ankle, which will require surgery, during the third Test at Edgbaston.