The suspense is over. Sachin Tendulkar is fit and will play in the Nagpur Test.
The much-talked about ‘tennis elbow’ has healed and after seeing Tendulkar’s 30-minute batting stint — spread over two sessions — at the MIG Cricket Club nets, team physio Andrew Leipus gave the good news. ‘‘Sachin is fit and will be on the plane to Nagpur tomorrow and will play in the third Test,’’ he said.
Visibly pleased on passing the fitness test, Tendulkar looked forward to facing the Australians in the third Test starting on Tuesday. ‘‘I am feeling pretty confident and comfortable and I am fit to play in the Nagpur Test,’’ he told reporters.
Giving a medical interpretation of Sachin’s comfort, Leipus said, ‘‘the stiffness and soreness in his elbow has gone and he is comfortable while batting.’’
Facing Mumbai skipper Paras Mhambrey, an assortment of local pacers and a couple of leg-spinners Tendulkar started the nets session today with defensive strokes. The final 10-minute session was for strokeplay. A back-foot drive on the on-side and an inside out lofted shot over covers suggested that Tendulkar seemed to be getting back in the groove. This was despite the long hiatus — he played his last international game on August 1.
He also bowled a bit but that wasn’t part of his serious workout. Rolling his arm, with pads on, to his son Arjun added to the general ‘well being’ all around.
While Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly would have heaved a big sigh of relief on receiving the news, the Australian camp might be forced to have an extended team meeting before the Nagpur Test.
But their injured skipper Ricky Ponting — hours after landing in India — didn’t give any hint. ‘‘It is very good news, especially for the spectators. And also for us players because we would like to play against the best team,’’ he said.
