Tendulkar's recovery as per schedule, says Indian board

Sachin Tendulkar has been recovering well and his rehabilitation process after a shoulder operation is as per schedule according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

"Sachin continues to improve and has advanced to this point of his recovery period with no setbacks," Niranjan Shah, BCCI secretary, said in a statement. "The overall management of his problem has progressed as planned with improvements in all the areas assessed [ranges of movement, pain levels and dysfunction]."

Tendulkar underwent the operation on his right shoulder last month in London. His rehabilitation programme consists of three phases, the first of which ended on April 16. He would be reassessed again on April 21 when the second phase ends, the statement said. The third and final phase runs upto May 1, after which Tendulkar was expected to begin batting practice with a light bat.

The eight-week recovery schedule is most likely to put him out of the one-day segment of India's tour of the West Indies, starting on May 12. Whether he would be fit in time for the four-Test series, starting with the first encounter at Antigua on June 2, remains to be seen.