NEW DELHI, Sept 14: Sachin Tendulkar's omission through injury on Tuesday from a season-opening domestic match next week has raised serious concerns about him playing in the upcoming home series against Australia.

A "tennis elbow" has already forced Tendulkar to miss three successive limited-overs tournaments including the ongoing Champions Trophy in England. With the series against Australia three weeks away, doubts have begun to creep into the minds of fans about whether Tendulkar will be available for all the four Tests.

Tendulkar is currently undergoing treatment in London. But Indian media reports quoted team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus as saying from London that he "was still in a lot of pain and unable to lift a bat".

Tendulkar was excluded by his state team Mumbai for the five-day Irani Cup match against the Rest of India starting in Mohali next week. The only other first-class match before the Test series is the three-day tour opener at Hyderabad from Sept 30.

If Tendulkar is forced to miss that game as well, it would be a bold gamble by the selectors to pick him for the first Test in Bangalore from Oct 6. The remaining three Tests will be played in Chennai (Oct 14-18), Nagpur (Oct 26-30) and Mumbai (Nov 3-7). Tendulkar has not played a first-class match since the third and final Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in April. -AFP