September 23, 2008	Tuesday	Ramazan 22, 1429

NEW DELHI, Sept 22: Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar will be available for India’s upcoming Test series against Australia despite racing against time to be fit, an official said on Monday.

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

The news sent shockwaves across India, but cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah denied media reports that Tendulkar could miss the four-Test series against the world champions starting on Oct 9.

“The physiotherapist wants him [Tendulkar] to take another week off as a precautionary measure, but he will certainly be available for the Test matches,” Shah told reporters.

Tendulkar will be replaced by Subramaniam Badrinath in the Rest of India squad that takes on Ranji Trophy champions 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.

The Indian already has a record 39 Test and 42 one-day centuries and is also the world’s leading one-day batsman with 16,361 runs from 417 matches.

Tendulkar is hoping to make amends for a poor series in Sri Lanka, where his highest score was 31 in three Tests which the hosts won 2-1.

The world’s most senior cricketer, who made his Test debut in 1989, has been plagued by a spate of injuries in recent times and underwent corrective surgery on his left elbow in 2005.

Tendulkar injured the elbow again while attempting to take a catch in the third Test in Sri Lanka last month and missed the subsequent one-day series.—AFP