Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has decided not to tour the West Indies for India’s One-Day International series later this month.

The batting maestro is hesitant to tour as he has not trained with the team for quite a while.

Tendulkar played his last ODI in Christchurch, New Zealand where he scored a match-winning 163 before retiring hurt.

The West Indies series begins with the first ODI on June 26 at Jamaica which hosts the second game too. While third and fourth matches will be played at St Lucia.

Meanwhile, India’s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the upcoming West Indies tour due to injury.

The pacer’s injury was carried to the T20 World Cup from the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Indian left-arm-seamer suffered a left shoulder injury while playing in the IPL in South Africa on May 3 and didn’t figure in any of the games for Mumbai Indians after that.

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Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya would return to haunt Kolkata Knight Riders when they open up once again on Friday just days after their 92-run drubbing at the hands of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

The veteran duo pulverized the Knight Riders’ attack and whatever resistance Brendon McCullum’s side tried to put up was smothered by the pace of Lasith Malinga and the medium pace of youngster Abhishek Nayar.

Between the two teams, Mumbai Indians have the distinct edge despite their narrow three-run defeat to Kings XI Punjab last night.

They are fourth in the table with five points from five matches compared to Knight Riders’ three from six. The Kolkata side is having a torrid time, having lost four of their matches to be lodged at the bottom of the table.

Opener Chris Gayle has been mildly successful but skipper McCullum seems to be saddled by the burden of captaincy and has been far from his destructive self. Without a sound start, it has been left to Brad Hodge and Sourav Ganguly to give the batting some shape but unlike Mumbai Indians, the Knight Riders lack depth.

In the bowling department too, Mumbai are well equipped than their rivals. The fearsome Malinga, who knocked the winds out of the Knight Riders and has emerged the highest wicket-taker in the IPL with 11 scalps so far, will get plenty of support from an in-form Zaheer Khan.There’s the medium pace of West Indian Dwayne Bravo and Nayar and the experience of Harbhajan Singh and Mumbai Indians look a compact side.

Not so for Knight Riders for whom Ishant Sharma has been the sole bowler of note. Ganguly has rolled his arms over but with moderate success and it was Hodge who has impressed the most with his spin.

Knight Riders have struggled in the fast bowling department and Ashok Dinda and Ajit Agarkar has come a cropper so far.

A fractious team hasn’t helped the cause either and Knight Riders would be praying for a miracle as they look to register their second win in the tournament.

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The Bangalore Royal Challengers secured a five-wicket win off the penultimate ball against the Kolkata Knight Riders to move off the bottom of the Indian Premier League standings on Wednesday.

The second match in the Durban between the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab also went down to the last over with the bowling side, Punjab, holding on for a three-run win.

Chasing Kolkata’s total of 139 for six, Bangalore reached 143 for five after beginning the last over of their innings needing 10 runs for victory.

South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (25 not out) duly obliged for Bangalore by scoring 12 runs off five balls with the winning runs coming courtesy of a boundary behind square-leg.

Bangalore’s winning total was built on a first-wicket stand of 69 off 72 balls between Jacques Kallis (23) and left-hander Shreevats Goswami, who contributed 43, while off spinner Brad Hodge returned figures of 3-29 for Kolkata.

After Kolkata had won the toss and chosen to bat, Bangalore made use of four spinners who between them bowled 15 overs for 99 runs, picking up five wickets. Leg spinner Anil Kumble was the most successful with 2-16 off four overs.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle contributed 40 runs to Kolkata’s score while right-hander Morne van Wyk, on his IPL debut, scored 43 not out. Kolkata are rooted to the bottom of the table with one win and one no-result from their six matches.

Mumbai began the last over of their innings, bowled by left-arm seamer Yusuf Abdulla, needing 12 runs to win.

But when Abdulla (2-19) had JP Duminy caught at deep midwicket for 59 with the fourth ball of the over, Mumbai’s challenge fizzled out as they reached 116 for seven.

Punjab, who won the toss and elected to bat, scored 119 for eight on a sluggish pitch that did not encourage stroke play with Sri Lanka wicketkeeper/batsman Kumar Sangakkara top-scoring with 45 not out.

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