Sachin Tendulkar Injured on Yadav Delivery During Training

Cape Town: The Indian cricket team suffered an injury scare as Sachin Tendulkar escaped unhurt after he was hit on the helmet by a rising delivery from fast bowler Umesh Yadav during pre-series training at coach Gary Kirsten's academy.

A delivery from the uncapped right-arm paceman caught Tendulkar by surprise as it hit the left side of his helmet as he ducked, expecting the ball to rear up higher and pass overhead during the morning training session at Claremont Cricket Club last evening.

Tendulkar, who was among the second batch of players who reached, took the very audible whack with great calmness, even as colleagues in both his and the other nets swiftly turned heads out of concern for his well-being.

The 37-year-old veteran of 174 Tests simply stooped a little, removed the helmet and inspected it, while Yadav rushed in but heaved a sigh of relief after laying his hands on Tendulkar's head which apparently did not have any signs of taking the blow.

Tendulkar then carried on serenely as if nothing had happened and shortly afterwards S Sreesanth sent him a shortish ball that barely climbed knee height, which caused some amusement.

He was batting on a strip which was with some up-and-down sort of bounce apparently prepared by Kirsten as part of preparations for the three-match Tests series against South Africa starting at Centurion on December 16.

"You can't control these sorts of situations in a net environment. It even happens in India; guys get hit on the glove and so on. You just have to hope nothing too serious occurs," said Kirsten afterwards of Tendulkar's minor scare.

"Interestingly enough the one net here is pretty flat and low and the other is going around a bit. The guys wanted to use the one that was more (spicy). I'm pretty excited about that; we'll use the one that's going around a bit again tomorrow," he said.

Kirsten wanted to simulate the South African pitch conditions as best as possible as India are not having any warm-up game before the Test series.

The Indian squad will reach Centurion on Monday.

Scores	Upcoming	Results
Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants - 39th Match 40th Match - Delhi Capitals v Gujarat Titans - April 24, 14:00 GMT 41st Match - Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore - April 25, 14:00 GMT 38th Match - Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians at Jaipur Rajasthan Royals won by 9 wickets (with 8 balls remaining) 37th Match - Punjab Kings v Gujarat Titans at Chandigarh Gujarat Titans won by 3 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)

Kohli, Yusuf Shine With Bat in ODI Series [+]

Kohli and Pathan turned out to be the star for India in the batting department in the five-match ODI series against South Africa which they lost 2-3.

Series a Lesson for Batsmen Before WC - Dhoni [+]

After losing the closely-fought ODI series 2-3 to South Africa, Indian captain MS Dhoni said it was a "disappointing" performance by the batsmen.

South Africa Win Series Despite Yusuf Ton [+]

Yusuf Pathan hit a 68-ball century but Morne Morkel took four wickets as South Africa won the ODI series 3-2 by beating India by 33 runs by the D/L method in the fifth ODI at Centurion.

India, South Africa Eyes Finished With Win Before WC [+]

With the series tantalizingly poised at 2-2, India will have to quickly regroup and sort out their batting woes as they go into the fifth and final one-dayer on Sunday against the Proteas, hoping to register their first-ever series triumph on SA Soil.

South Africa Level Series Despite Kohli Fireworks [+]

Virat Kohli struck a sparkling 87 not out and had a hand in three dismissals but couldn't stop South Africa from winning the fourth one-day international against India at St George's Park on Friday.

South Africa Opt to Bat Against India at St George's Park [+]

South Africa captain Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to bat against India in the fourth one-dayer at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

Dhoni Injured But Likely to Play Crucial Match [+]

Under MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten, the Indian cricket team has achieved many firsts, in all forms of the game. It is now on the cusp of another - first-ever ODI series win in South Africa.

India Look to First Series Victory in South Africa [+]

Having gained a 2-1 lead after registering back-to-back victories in the last two games against the Proteas, India go into the fourth one-dayer on Friday seeking to clinch their first-ever ODI series triumph on South African soil.

Graeme Smith Hails Explosive Pathan [+]

Graeme Smith on Tuesday said that Yusuf Pathan's breezy innings ruined the day for his side in the third cricket one-dayer against India.

Pathan Powers India to Thriller Win, Lead 2-1 [+]

A burst of powerful hitting by Yusuf Pathan spurred India to a thrilling two-wicket win in the third ODI against SA at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday.