Tendulkar fit for Aussie Test series: Niranjan Shah

Mumbai, Sep 23 (UNI) Despite racing against time to be fit, the batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be available for the Test series against Australia, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said.

After being advised to take a week's rest to recover from an elbow injury sustained during the recent Sri Lanka tour, Tendulkar, 35, opted out of a five-day trial match starting in Vadodara tomorrow.

The news sent shockwaves across India, but Shah denied reports that Tendulkar could miss the four-Test series.

''The physiotherapist wants him to take another week off as a precautionary measure, but he will certainly be available for the Test matches,'' Shah said yesterday.

Tendulkar will be replaced by Subramaniam Badrinath in the Rest of India squad that takes on Ranji Trophy Champion- Delhi, in the five-day Irani Cup match in Vadodara.

The Indian squad for the first Test in Bangalore will be named after the match.

Tendulkar, a veteran of 150 Tests, needs 77 runs to overtake retired West Indian Brian Lara's record tally of 11,953 runs and become Test cricket's highest run-getter.

He already has a record 39 Test and 42 One-day international centuries. He is also the world's leading ODI batsman with 16,361 runs from 417 matches.

Tendulkar, who made his Test debut in 1989, has been plagued by a spate of injuries in recent times.

He had corrective surgery on his left elbow in 2005. Tendulkar once again injured his elbow while trying to take a catch in the third Test in Sri Lanka last month, which forced him to miss the subsequent One-day series.

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