Sachin's Windies prospect brighter after first batting practice

New Delhi, May 10 (UNI) Sachin Tendulkar may have missed the ODI series against the West Indies but his prospect of playing in the Test matches received a fillip after his first practice with the bat since a shoulder surgery in March this year.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement that both Tendulkar and Team India physio John Gloster were happy with the progress.

''Sachin underwent his first batting session yesterday since his shoulder operation in late march. Both Sachin and John Gloster were very happy with the outcomes of his first outing, bat in hand,'' Mr Shah said in a release today.

''The return to batting is a graded process to allow for adaptation to the new loads involved and his tolerance to all new demands placed on him physically to this point have been satisfactory,'' he added.

The BCCI official also revealed that the Board would soon announce its decision on Tendulkar's availability for the series.

''The review process for Sachin is an ongoing one and the decision regarding his availability will be taken soon once John Gloster, Sachin, the surgeon and other affiliated parties are confident of his recovery,'' he added.

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