Tendulkar to miss second Test

Alarmed at reports about Sachin Tendulkar missing the rest of the Australian tour because of his tennis elbow, Andrew Leipus, the Indian team's physiotherapist, issued a statement saying that Tendulkar could not be ruled out of the series, though his participation in the second Test was unlikely. But, according The Times of India, an itchy Tendulkar admitted his frustration at being unable to play and said that he'd take a chance even if he was half-fit.

"It is very, very frustrating to wait on the sidelines. I am tired of waiting. It's 50-50 for me now and I do not mind taking a chance at Chennai and playing the game," Tendulkar said. "However, it all depends on how the muscles cope and how much of pain I can take." He didn't mind not having match-practice. "I know it is really tough but I really want to play. You would not know how sad I feel sitting in the dressing-room. Earlier, I would pad up and get ready to bat. But now, I wait to see how fast I can put my pads on."

Leipus agreed, saying that the date of recovery from the injury was unpredictable: "With this type of injury it is not easy to predict when he will be functional enough to return to cricket. Contrary to reports he is definitely not out of the series. Most tendon injuries do not heal very well and often the initial attempt to return to sport is met with recurrence. We do not expect Sachin to be feeling 100% fit in the near future," said Leipus. "Rather, we expect him to fulfill two criteria before playing for India again. He must be comfortable - in that his symptoms should be stiffness and not pain - and that he must have full function of the elbow or wrist, meaning that he is not limited in his shot selection."

John Wright thought Tendulkar's chances of playing the Chennai Test were bleak. "It's very, very unlikely that he will play in this match. But I am hoping that he will get to play a role in some stage of this series. It's been frustrating for him. We have made a day-by-day assessment of the situation." Wright said that all Tendulkar had to do was hit the nets, bat a bit, and come back saying he was feeling fine.