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India want Sachin back

AFP/CricInfo, Bangalore
India, bruised by the heavy defeat by world champions Australia in the first Test here, prayed on Monday for Sachin Tendulkar's speedy return to the series.
The star batsman, who has been out of
action for eight weeks with a tennis elbow injury, missed the 217-run loss on Sunday which gave the tourists a 1-0 lead in the four-match rubber.
Team India desperately want Tendulkar back for the second Test
at the Chepauk in Madras from Thursday, but few are willing to predict he will be fit enough to play.
Some doubt if the 31-year-old will take part in the series at all.
"I can only pray and keep my fingers crossed," Indian captain Sourav Ganguly told AFP. "We should know over the next few days."
Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman in world cricket with 33 Test and a record 37 one-day centuries, has not batted at the nets since the injury struck before a tournament in the Netherlands in mid-August.
He has been doing regular exercises under team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus to strengthen the muscles in his left hand and even bowled to teammates before play in the first Test.
Tendulkar will finally have a hit at the nets in Madras on Tuesday and team sources said he was gearing to "absorb the impact of 150 deliveries on his left elbow."
If Tendulkar is comfortable facing the equivalent of 25 overs at the nets on Tuesday and Wednesday, he will make himself available for the second Test, the sources added.
Indian coach John Wright wants Tendulkar back even if he is "85 per cent fit."
Both Tendulkar and physiotherapist Leipus are barred by the team management from speaking about the most discussed topic in Indian
cricket.
However, Tendulkar himself admitted in an interview with The Sun-Herald that he was struggling and that he also needed to rebuild the muscle in his arm which has wasted because of his inactivity.
"If I try to rush into playing early
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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."
But sources indicated Tendulkar was himself "keen to play but was unsure whether a risk should be taken after just two days of nets on Tuesday and Wednesday in almost two months."
Bangalore-based orthopaedic specialist Premchand Khincha, who examined Tendulkar last week, was quoted in local newspapers as saying the batsman had a "50-50" chance of playing in Madras.
"He is still feeling the pain while driving the ball and the injury still persists," Kincha told the Deccan Herald newspaper.
"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."
India, who were shot out for 246
and 239 in the first Test, need the 9,470-run veteran back in Madras to lift the morale of the hosts.
The Chepauk is a happy hunting ground for Tendulkar, who has scored four centuries in six Tests there, including two in succession against the Australians in 1998 and 2001.
In seven home Tests against the world champions, he has amassed 760 runs.
If Australia go 2-0 up in Madras, it may be too late for Tendulkar and India to make an impact in the remaining two Tests in Nagpur and Mumbai.
On Friday, a desperate 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.