Tuesday, May 23 2006 16:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series in the West Indies after failing to recover from shoulder surgery.

Tendulkar informed the Indian cricket board Tuesday that he should not be considered for next month's four-Test series in the Caribbean as he was not fit.

"We have been trying hard. Andrew Leipus (former Indian team physio) has been with me all the time. There is still weakness in my arm and I am not ready to compete at international level," said 33-year-old Tendulkar.

The master batsman, who underwent shoulder surgery in March, missed seven one-dayers at home against England last month and opted out of the ongoing five-match one-day series in the West Indies.

Tendulkar did not undergo a fitness test scheduled for Tuesday, a day before the Test team is named.

When asked when he would be back in action, he said, "I don't know. I leave it to doctors to guide me in right direction."

Tendulkar was due to leave for England Tuesday night to meet his surgeon Andrew Wallace. "I am sure the doctor is in touch with the Indian cricket board," said Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman in contemporary cricket with a world record 35 Test and 39 one-day centuries. Leipus, who is supervising Tendulkar's fitness programme in the absence of current physio John Gloster who is in the West Indies, said it was important to prevent further damage to the shoulder.

"We cannot keep training. Rest is also important for his complete recovery," said Leipus. "We don't want to do further damage to his shoulder. We are looking at the bigger picture in order to prolong his career," he said.

Indian board secretary Niranjan Shah said Tendulkar's condition would be reviewed after two or three weeks.

Tendulkar's absence is a big blow for India, seeking their first Test series victory in the West Indies since 1971.

He is the fourth-highest scorer in Test cricket with 10,469 runs, behind West Indian captain Brian Lara and Australian duo Allan Border and Steve Waugh.

He is also the world's leading one-day batsman, with 14,146 runs in 362 matches.

But a career spanning 16 years has begun to take its toll with a spate of injuries, the most notable being a tennis elbow problem two years ago that also required surgery.

Meanwhile, opening batsman Wasim Jaffer is available for selection after recovering from a shin injury. India play the first Test at Antigua on June 2.