Tendulkar goes in for shockwave treatment

"How can I bat without a backlift?" Sachin Tendulkar seems to be asking © Getty Images Enlarge

In a desperate attempt to get Sachin Tendulkar fit for India's forthcoming Test series against Australia, the team management have opted to put him through state-of-the-art shockwave treatment. According to Sydney Morning Herald, Tendulkar's tennis elbow, which afflicted him during the Videocon Cup and kept him out of the NatWest Challenge as well, has failed to respond to physiotherapy.

Ironically, Tendulkar's injury occurred in part because of extensive practice that he went through in Mumbai, playing four fast bowlers in the nets, to prepare for the series against Australia. By the time the Indians reached Holland for the triangular there, Tendulkar had so much pain in his left elbow that he was unable to complete the backswing of his bat. Many fruitless sessions of physiotherapy followed.

Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, Andrew Leipus, the Indian team's physiotherapist, said, "We're going to try this new shockwave treatment out on the elbow. It's the latest thing. It's localised treatment which works a little like an ultrasound. It stimulates the tissues to heal, basically.

"We've tried various approaches these last couple of weeks and it hasn't really worked," Leipus continued. "It's been two steps forward and one step back every time we try and push it. So we decided to give him two weeks' rest and gradually reintroduce him to batting. We've had a little improvement with it, so we're hopeful that with a bit more rest it should calm down."

Leipus's description of Tendulkar's injury is one that will certainly worry Indian fans. "He wasn't able to lift the bat. It's not a case of him pushing through a bit of discomfort and restricting his shot selection. He couldn't actually lift the bat on his backlift because there was no power in his hand. For a batsman of his calibre who's expected to hang around the crease for hours on end, you can't really have him suffering with this sort of injury. He's got to be 100%."