Ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar said on Saturday he was cleared by his doctors to play in the Challenger Series despite feeling slight pain in his troublesome elbow that has kept him out of action for four months.
"It [the elbow] still pains a little, but my doctors have declared me fit to play. I enjoy playing in the Challenger Trophy. It gives a perfect platform for me to test my match fitness," he said after a net session at the MIG Club in suburban Bandra, close to his residence.
Tendulkar said his doctors told him that the discomfort in his elbow is normal.
"They say its very normal and I don't have to worry about it," he said.
"I am just going to go out there [Challenger series] and give myself a chance and see what happens. I would know exactly where I stand and, basically, that becomes my target.
"After the Challenger, I will be in a better position to figure out how it is," he added.
Tendulkar underwent surgery for tennis elbow in London at the end of May and hasn't played any competitive cricket since then, though he indulged in light practice sessions. On Saturday he batted in the nets too.
He was given the go ahead to play on Friday and named in the India Seniors squad, to be led by Sourav Ganguly, by the national selectors, who chose the three teams to play in the Challenger series on Saturday in Delhi.
Tendulkar missed India's first two tours of the new season, to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and also pulled out of the upcoming ICC's Johnnie Walker Super Series in Australia after being named both in the One-Day and Test squads.
He hopes to make his international comeback in the home series against Sri Lanka, commencing on October 25.