Sachin Tendulkar, recovering from a long-term elbow injury, says he will be fit for India's home series against Pakistan next month.
The 31-year-old batsman, who was out for almost three months last year because of a tennis elbow and has not played competitively since the Bangladesh tour in December, will return in the four-day Duleep Trophy match in Hyderabad starting on Tuesday.
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"At this moment I'm fit to play, that's why I'm here. I have to see how I go in the match. Nobody knows what's going to happen but right now I feel fully fit."
He will captain West Zone against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. India paceman Irfan Pathan, who missed several domestic games this month due to a side strain, will also make his comeback in the same game.
Tendulkar played against Australia last October despite not being fully fit and was advised to take six weeks' rest by doctors earlier this year because the injury had flared up again.
WEAR AND TEAR
He has suffered from a spate of injuries over the last two years in his back, toe, finger, ankle and elbow, attributed mainly to wear and tear caused by non-stop cricket since he emerged on the international scene in 1989 as a 16-year-old.
Pakistan arrive on February 28 to play three Tests and six one-day internationals on their first full tour of India in six years.
Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan's main strike bowler, has ruled himself out of the tests due to a hamstring injury.
India won the Tests 2-1 and one-day series 3-2 on their first full tour of Pakistan for more than 14 years in March-April last year.
Tendulkar said he expected another high pressure series.
"The pressure is always there, especially in India-Pakistan games," he said.
"It's nice to be under pressure, it keeps you on your toes. You just get used to it, that's how you perform."
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