Tendulkar to commence batting drills

Sachin Tendulkar [ Images ] is expected to commence light batting drills within a week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India [ Images ] said on Tuesday, following a fitness examination by the Indian team's physiotherapist, John Gloster.

The ace batsman had opted out of the one-day series on the upcoming West Indies [ Images ] tour, and his availability for the Test series will be known only after a fitness test on May 10.

Tendulkar underwent surgery on his right shoulder in London [ Images ] on March 27 and was advised a 26-day rehabilitation programme. Dr Andrew Wallace performed the surgery, in London's Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, to stabilise a shoulder joint and reattach a damaged bicep tendon to his upper arm bone.

The star batsman was diagnosed with a posterior labrum tear of the right shoulder during the third Test against England [ Images ], in Mumbai [ Images ], which ruled him out of the seven-match one-day series against the tourists that followed.

On Tuesday, five weeks after the surgery, Tendulkar's condition was reassessed in Mumbai and he was advised further strengthening exercises.

A BCCI statement said the recovery process has gone as planned and Tendulkar is adapting well to the implementation of the strength components of the programme.