Losing Tendulkar would be a huge blow to India's chances

Indian batting star Sachin Tendulkar will miss the ICC Champions Trophy because of an elbow injury.

Captain Sourav Ganguly had described his chances of playing in the tournament as "seriously doubtful".

And the worst fears of Indian fans were confirmed by news that doctors advised Tendulkar to rest the injury for another fortnight.

He is the highest scorer in one-day internationals, with 13,415 runs from 339 appearances at an average of 45.

Academy feature: What is tennis elbow?

Tendulkar initially experienced stiffness in the elbow joint while practising at home.

But his condition had worsened by the time the team arrived in the Netherlands for a recent triangular tournament against Pakistan and Australia.

The problem was diagnosed as tennis elbow and he was also ruled out of the current NatWest Challenge series against England.

India begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Kenya next Saturday, and will then take on Pakistan eight days later in a game which is likely to decide which team progresses to the semi-finals from their group.

Rohan Gavaskar, who has been deputising for Tendulkar against England, will remain with the squad.