Tendulkar injury is due to wear and tear: Chauhan

Sachin Tendulkar's foot injury has been caused mainly by wear and tear, former Test player Chetan Chauhan said on Wednesday.

"It is an aggravation of pain in the bone and connected muscles behind his left big toe," Chauhan, the India team manager for the recent tour of Zimbabwe, said.

"There was recurring pain. It is mainly due to wear and tear."

The Indian cricket board said on Monday that Tendulkar is nursing a foot injury and would not travel with the India squad for the start of a one-day, tri-nation series in Sri Lanka starting next week.

They said the batsman has been advised to rest completely for two to three weeks.

Chauhan denied local media reports suggesting that Tendulkar had accidentally spiked himself with his right boot.

"No, no, it is only because of continuous play," he said.

Chauhan also said there is no truth in speculation that Tendulkar had opted to stay behind because of friction between him and India captain Sourav Ganguly.

He said: "People are imagining things, saying there is misunderstanding between him and Ganguly. It is a fabrication of someone's mind."

Chauhan said Tendulkar first experienced the pain during the final stages of a one-day series in Zimbabwe, which ended on Saturday with India's loss to West Indies in the final.

He said Tendulkar chose to play the final despite his painful foot.

"Sachin had an X-ray the day before the final, but because it was a crucial game we decided to play him and it got aggravated," said Chauhan.

Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jaywant Lele told reporters on Monday that Tendulkar would join the squad in Sri Lanka a day before their final round robin game on August 2 and would play if India reached the final.

The series, also involving Sri Lanka and New Zealand, starts next Wednesday.

India's three-Test series against Sri Lanka begins in Galle on August 14.

Mail Cricket Editor