India’s star batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, has had surgery on his injured left hand and could be sidelined for three months or more.
Tendulkar was treated on Tuesday at Sinai Hospital by orthopedic surgeons Dror Paley and Steven Friedman, specialists in hand reconstruction.
The 30-year-old is the No. 1 batsman in cricket and has scored 21 000 runs in tests and one-day internationals.
Tendulkar told his doctors that he hurt the side of the finger while catching the ball during a match in November.
”The X-rays show that Tendulkar suffered a torn ligament and tendon to his ring finger that is affecting the finger joint,” Paley said.
Although Tendulkar played hurt in March during the World Cup, the right-handed opener was named man-of-the-tournament after scoring a Cup-record 673 runs in India’s run to the final, where they lost to Australia.
”Clearly, he performed well at the World Cup despite this, but he was in pain,” Paley said.
”It mostly affected his catch. Every time he had to catch the ball, it was painful.”
The doctors repaired the injury as part of an hour-long outpatient procedure. Tendulkar will undergo physical rehabilitation starting Wednesday.
”He’ll need occupational therapy to work on range of motion and his grip strength,” Paley said.
He added that the rehabilitation would probably take three months and would include exercises such as opening and closing the hand and squeezing a ball.
Tendulkar is scheduled to leave Baltimore on Wednesday but will return for a follow-up visit with his doctors in several weeks. – Sapa – AP