NEW DELHI, Oct 2: The triumphant return of Sachin Tendulkar may not be to the taste of non-Indian bowlers, but millions of cricket fans who prayed for his recovery will look to the master batsman to set the Champions Trophy ablaze.

India's batting had lost much of its flair, flamboyance and fire in the absence of Tendulkar, who was out for nearly five months following shoulder surgery.

India breathed a sigh of relief when the 33-year-old smashed a hundred and and then a half-century in the recent triangular one-day series in Kuala Lumpur to prove that all was well with form and fitness.

It was feared that the Champions Trophy, which starts on Saturday, would lose much of its flavour with so many prominent players out of action.

But Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, South Africans Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, and Pakistan's paceman Shoaib Akhtar are also all back to add relish to the tournament.

The trophy provides ample opportunity for most teams to assess the fitness of key players before major assignments, like the Ashes in Australia next month and the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

McGrath, Tendulkar, Kallis and Akhtar have each played a couple of matches ahead of the real action involving all 10-Test playing nations.

Tendulkar and McGrath needed just one tournament in Kuala Lumpur to remind the opposition that a long lay-off had not dampened their skills. —AFP