Tendulkar in race against time

After being ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a bout of tennis elbow, Sachin Tendulkar is facing a race against time if he is to be passed fit for the first Test against Australia, starting in Bangalore on October 6.

Though he no longer carries his team's batting single-handed, Tendulkar's absence has been keenly felt by India, who have been a shadow of their dominant selves in their recent one-day outings. They failed to qualify for the latter stages of either the Videocon Cup in Amstelveen or the Champions Trophy, and lost 2-1 to England in the NatWest Challenge.

Australia would have a huge psychological advantage if he was not fit for the Test next month, and Tendulkar knows it. "I really want to play," he told Mumbai's Mid Day newspaper, after returning home from England, where he has been undergoing extensive treatment. "I am hoping and praying that I am fit for the series, but it is important to be in good shape for that challenge."

Tendulkar has received strict instructions from Anant Joshi, a sports medicine expert, about how best to speed his recovery. "Any untoward movement of the wrist or elbow will be a setback," said Joshi, who added that the recovery has been slow, but positive. "I have asked him not to drive his car and lift anything."

"I am pretty conscious of what I do with my left hand," admitted Tendulkar. "I have to guard against even remote aggravation, and I even have to be careful while playing with my kids."

Even if he does recover fitness in time for Bangalore - which is a long shot - his form would be a worry. Tendulkar has not picked up a bat for six weeks, and his last first-class fixture was the third Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, which ended on April 18. He has missed just one Test series in a 15-year career, when a leg injury forced him out of the Sri Lanka tour in 2001.