Sachin not coming, are you sure? Caribbean fans are asking

Tendulkar, who underwent shoulder surgery in March, ruled himself out for the test series after undergoing a fitness test on Tuesday morning. He spent the last week in Chennai training under Andrew Leipus and MRF Academy fitness trainer Ramji Srinivas.

But Tendulkar chose not to undergo a scheduled fitness test in Mumbai today, informing the BCCI instead that he had not recovered from the shoulder injury that saw him pull out of action early this year. It was left to him to tell the media in Mumbai that he would not be going.

Team India coach Greg Chappell, however, chose to play down the impact of Tendulkar8217;s absence for the Test series starting June 2.

8220;If he isn8217;t fit, he can8217;t make it, that8217;s it. It simply presents an opportunity for another player,8221; Chappell told The Indian Express at the Marriott, minutes before boarding the team bus for the third one-dayer at the Warner Park.

But Ian Frazer, a key member of Chappell8217;s support team, was more candid.

8220;I am sure it8217;s disappointing for Sachin and for the team. I mean, which team in the world wouldn8217;t like to have Sachin Tendulkar on their side,8221; Frazer told this paper.

Of course, for Indian fans here, the news has come as a downer after the big high of this island hosting its first international cricket match today8212;the Warner Park here will also host the third Test starting June 22.

8220;He is such a huge star. We have said so much about him to our Caribbean friends here that even they were looking forward to watch him play. It8217;s very, very disappointing,8221; said Gaurav Bajaj, a fourth year MBBS student at the Windsor University School of Medicine here, who had come to watch the one-day match.

Team India would have loved to have Tendulkar fit in time for the Tests, considering the Mumbai superstar8217;s great record against the West Indies: three hundreds and seven fifties at an average of 57.74 in 16 Tests.

The latter half of the 33-year-old8217;s 132-Test career has been a story of fitness problems: back 1998-99, toe 2001, ankle 2002-03, finger 2003, tennis elbow 2004-05 and now the shoulder injury.

The back injury, which forced him to miss many matches, nearly threatened to cut short his career till he came back with a hundred against Kenya in the England World Cup of 1999, looking up immediately after the 100th run to thank his departed father.