MUMBAI, June 6: Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar eased the pain for Indian fans saying he is recovering well from an elbow surgery and will be ready for international cricket again in four months.

“I am progressing quite well and will need at least 14 to 16 weeks to return to competitive cricket,” Tendulkar said on Sunday night after flying back from London, where he underwent an operation last month.

The tennis elbow had been troubling Tendulkar for nearly a year, forcing him to skip three major one-day tournaments and two home Tests against Australia last season.

“We tried everything, but when nothing worked we had no option but to go for surgery,” said Tendulkar, who is also set to miss a triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka featuring the West Indies in early August.

“The doctors have prepared a rehabilitation programme and I will be busy following that during this period,” said Tendulkar, who has spent 16 of his 32 years in international cricket.

The fourth-highest scorer in Test cricket with 10,134 runs in 123 matches, Tendulkar is also the world-record holder in one-day cricket with 13,642 runs in 348 matches, including 38 hundreds.—AFP