Orthopaedic specialist Anant Joshi, who is on the Indian cricket board's medical panel and has monitored Tendulkar's recovery in Mumbai, told the Times of India newspaper that the star batsman may still need "a month and a half" to be fully fit.

"I saw him on Tuesday and I noticed that the muscles on his left hand are weaker than the right hand," Joshi said a day after Tendulkar, 32, withdrew from the two-Test series in Zimbabwe later this month.

"It should possibly take a month and a half from here. Sachin too does not want to rush back into cricket.

"I doubt if Sachin will take the risk of going to Australia in the first week of October for the Super Series," the newspaper quoted Joshi as saying.

Tendulkar is part of both world squads, which clash with champions Australia in three one-day matches in Melbourne on October 5, 7 and 9 and a six-day Test in Sydney from October 14-19.

Two current Test captains, Inzamamul Haq of Pakistan and Michael Vaughan of England, who were surprisingly omitted from the original squads, are standing by in case Tendulkar decides not to play.

Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman in modern cricket with 23,776 international runs and 72 centuries, said last month he had not set a date for his return.

"A long-term plan is more important so I will not be worried if it takes a couple of weeks more," Tendulkar had told reporters after being provisionally selected for the Zimbabwe Test series.

"I will know how much impact my elbow is going to take only when I practice more. Frankly it is too early to say when I will be back."

Tendulkar underwent surgery in May after a precautionary medical check-up revealed a tendon tear in the left elbow.

First afflicted with the injury in August last year, Tendulkar missed a one-day tournament in the Netherlands, the Champions Trophy in England in September and two home Tests against Australia in October.

He returned for the remaining two Tests of the series and played further matches against South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan before the season ended in April.

Joshi said he was not surprised that Tendulkar's recovery was taking time.

"It all depends on a person," he said. "There are quite a lot of sportspersons who had to play with a tennis elbow.

"In Sachin's case, all I can say is that the rehabilitation process is taking a long time.

"Ideally, we want to get him into a match situation, but it all depends on him, his confidence level."

India want Tendulkar back for the gruelling season ahead, which includes 16 Tests and a minimum of 38 one-dayers from late October to June.