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NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (AFP): Sachin Tendulkar opens the second innings of his remarkable cricket career next week still hungry for success but wary of his batting prowess after a tennis elbow injury.
The 32-year-old, who has scored a world record 23,776 international runs with 72 centuries, said he will be starting from scratch when he takes the field in the one-day series against Sri Lanka from October 25.
"I am happy to be back and confident, but I am not taking anything for granted," Tendulkar told the news agency as he prepared for his first international game since the April 17 one-dayer against Pakistan in New Delhi.
"During a normal off-season, one knows how to go about it, when to begin training, when to get to the nets and polish the rough edges.
"But after the elbow surgery in May, I did not know how long it would take me to pick up a bat, let alone practice in the nets.
"I was wholly dependent on the advice of the doctors. I was itching to get out there and play but could not.
"Cricket has been my life for as long as I can remember so it was not easy to sit out. When I finally got back to the field this month it felt as if I was picking up a bat for the first time."
Playing non-stop cricket since making his Test debut in 1989 aged 16 has taken its toll on Tendulkar's body.
Over the last few years, he has suffered from a broken finger, stiff back, swollen toe and more recently a painful elbow.
The injuries have not dimmed Tendulkar's appetite for runs, but they have changed his approach to the game.
"I have realised there are certain things I cannot do anymore," he said. "Also, over the years I have evolved as a player.
"Earlier, I used to go out and try and smash every ball. My role is different now; play shots, rotate the strike, try and bat as long as possible.
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