Elbow ok, tendulkar rolls up his sleeves

Visibly pleased on passing the fitness test, Tendulkar looked forward to facing the Australians in the third Test starting on Tuesday. 8216;8216;I am feeling pretty confident and comfortable and I am fit to play in the Nagpur Test,8217;8217; he told reporters.

Giving a medical interpretation of Sachin8217;s comfort, Leipus said, 8216;8216;the stiffness and soreness in his elbow has gone and he is comfortable while batting.8217;8217;

Facing Mumbai skipper Paras Mhambrey, an assortment of local pacers and a couple of leg-spinners Tendulkar started the nets session today with defensive strokes. The final 10-minute session was for strokeplay. A back-foot drive on the on-side and an inside out lofted shot over covers suggested that Tendulkar seemed to be getting back in the groove. This was despite the long hiatus 8212; he played his last international game on August 1.

He also bowled a bit but that wasn8217;t part of his serious workout. Rolling his arm, with pads on, to his son Arjun added to the general 8216;well being8217; all around.

While Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly would have heaved a big sigh of relief on receiving the news, the Australian camp might be forced to have an extended team meeting before the Nagpur Test.

But their injured skipper Ricky Ponting 8212; hours after landing in India 8212; didn8217;t give any hint. 8216;8216;It is very good news, especially for the spectators. And also for us players because we would like to play against the best team,8217;8217; he said.