Sachin’s back at work

There was a buzz around the Brabourne Stadium this morning when Sachin Tendulkar arrived, bat in hand, for a practice session. Forty-odd day...

There was a buzz around the Brabourne Stadium this morning when Sachin Tendulkar arrived, bat in hand, for a practice session. Forty-odd days after picking up tennis elbow, he seemed good to go.

‘‘I’m not ruling myself out of the first Test (against Australia at Bangalore)’’, he told reporters. ‘‘I’m just waiting for the doctors to give me the green signal. I want to meet (India physio) Andrew Leipus and (BCCI consultant Dr Anant Joshi) and let them know how I feel and would take it forward from there.’’

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His elbow, he said, is much better and the doctors concerned had found tremendous improvement. Asked about the noticeably thinner left arm, Sachin said, ‘‘It will build up gradually. I haven’t practised for close to six weeks so there’s been muscle loss. I need to build up that as well.’’

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The injury also means that Tendulkar will be using a lighter bat — something advised by his former coach Ramakant Achrekar for some time now. ‘‘Yes, to start with there would be a lighter bat.’’

He said he would want to have as much practice as possible ahead of the Test. ‘‘But I can’t spend two hours at a stretch. I need to go step by step.’’

Getting back to business, Tendulkar nudged around a few balls wearing a two-inch brace on the left elbow. He then spent another two hours talking to the Mumbai team, former India captains Dilip Vengsarkar, Polly Umrigar and Dilip Sardesai.

He also spent half an hour with friend and foe Shane Warne, who rushed in to greet him leaving the nets alongside. Soon Adam Gilchrist and Brad Hodge joined in.