Chappell confirms Tendulkar 'fully fit'

KUALA LAMPUR—Greg Chappell, India's coach, has confirmed that Sachin Tendulkar is "fully fit and in good spirits" ahead of the DLF Cup in Malaysia, a tri-series involving West Indies and Australia that's set to begin on September 12.
"The time spent in the middle was excellent for Tendulkar," said Chappell after a practice game between Virender Sehwag XI and Harbhajan Singh XI. Tendulkar got himself into form ahead of the tri-series with a fluent 83-ball 101, including 12 fours and three sixes, while opening the innings for Sehwag XI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Tendulkar added 164 in an opening partnership with Rahul Dravid (44), someone who he has opened with just three times in one-day internationals. "We know each other well," said Dravid while commenting on the stand. "I have come a slot up or down, and then we have batted together on a lot of occasions over the last 10 years. It's the same when we are opening." He added that the opening combination for the DLF Cup would depend on the conditions and the match situation.
The faster bowlers didn't enjoy a great time in the practice games but Dravid wasn't too harsh while judging their performance. "The conditions were pretty flat. It wasn't easy for them. But there were lessons to be learnt for the bowlers."
Chappell was pleased with the commitment shown by Suresh Raina, who played in Saturday's game braving an injury to his jaw. "He was desperate to get back into the middle. You always want to see that in a young cricketer. He is talented, also has character."
He was happy with the efforts of VRV Singh, the young fast bowler, and added that left-armer Rudra Pratap Singh had bounced back well in the second game. Dravid spoke about the tough challenge ahead: "These two teams [West Indies and Australia] have a good record against us in recent times. We are determined to reverse that."
He confirmed that Yuvraj Singh, recovering from a viral fever, would join the team in Kuala Lumpur. —Agencies