Tendulkar ruled out of Test series against Sri Lanka

Mumbai, August 10: India's star batsman Sachin Tendulkar was ruled unfit on Friday and will not be joining the Indian cricket team for its Test series in Sri Lanka, his doctor said.

Dr. Bhujang Pai said that Tendulkar had not recovered completely from the fracture in his right foot suffered during the recent tour of Zimbabwe and will not resume playing until the injury heals.

"He (Tendulkar) will not go to Sri Lanka since he has to recover completely from the injury," said the radiologist, who did a scan on Tendulkar's fractured right toe on Thursday night - a day ahead of the deadline given by the batsman to the Indian cricket board to confirm his availability for the series.

Dr. Pai said Tendulkar will on Friday inform the Board of Control for Cricket in India about the result of the bone scan and Tendulkar's inability to play any cricket right now.

Tendulkar was included in the 16-member squad for the three-test series in Sri Lanka after he wrote to the Board of Control for Cricket in India saying he was feeling better and that the injury should heal in time for the first test match in Sri Lanka's coastal town of Galle starting Aug. 14.

The scan on Tendulkar's foot was scheduled for Friday but Tendulkar opted to get it done Thursday night. Dr. Pai said Tendulkar was suffering from acute pain, which forced him to do the scan early.

"Sachin was suffering from acute pain. He then called up the head of the nuclear department and we decided on an immediately bone scan," Dr. Pai said.

Tendulkar's place in the Indian squad will be taken by Jacob Martin, whom the selectors had named as a standby if Tendulkar did not recover from the injury which occurred during the recent series in Zimbabwe.

Tendulkar's absence has severely affected India's performance during the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka, where it lost the final of the triangular limited-over series.

Jaywant Lele, the BCCI secretary, said the board will go by Tendulkar's word and his doctor's advice after picking him in the squad.