As if things weren’t bad enough for India after their crushing 217-run defeat at Bangalore, it is now being reported that Sachin Tendulkar might miss the remainder of the series

Wisden Cricinfo staff23-Jun-2005

Sachin Tendulkar: limited to carrying drinks and towels during the Bangalore Test© Getty Images
As if things weren’t bad enough for India after their crushing 217-run defeat at Bangalore, it is now being reported that Sachin Tendulkar might miss the remainder of the series.Details of the tennis-elbow injury have been far from clear as team officials sought to keep the exact extent of it under wraps. In the build-up to the first Test, Sourav Ganguly told reporters that Tendulkar would be fit while Andrew Leipus, the physiotherapist, said he would not. He was only finally ruled out on the day before before the match started. Leipus has now been ordered by the Indian board not to comment.Yesterday, Dr Premchand Khincha, an orthopaedic specialist in Bangalore, who examined Tendulkar was quoted in the local Deccan Herald as rating him 50-50 to play in the second Test at Chennai. “He is still feeling the pain while driving the ball and the injury still persists,” Kincha explained. “Normally, it takes about six weeks to three months to recover from a tennis elbow, but in the case of a person involved in heavy physical activity, such as Tendulkar, recovery could take longer.”Tendulkar has been out of action for seven weeks, but several Indian journalists who have spoken privately to the specialist have reported that the outlook is far less optimistic.While there is no doubt that he is on the mend, the process is slow. Initially he was almost incapable of any backlift, and while he can now bat in the nets, he is only able to face three or fours overs before packing in. With the Chennai Test starting on Thursday (October 14) it is almost inconceivable that the improvement in the intervening four days would be enough to enable him to bat for several hours.Tendulkar himself admitted in an interview with The Sun-Herald that he is struggling and that he also needs to rebuild the muscle in his arm which has wasted because of his inactivity. “If I try to rush into playing early there could be a repeat injury because the muscle is not strong enough to take the pressure of batting,” he said. “When there is strength, I can start practising.”On Friday, Tendulkar, who was with the Indian squad at Bangalore, left the Test for a few hours to visit Sai Baba, a popular spiritual guru. He is also believed to be toying with the idea of using a lighter bat to speed his recovery. It seems he is prepared to explore any avenue to get fit, but the reality is that it is simply a matter of time.