Tendulkar has been struggling with the elbow injury for some time

India star Sachin Tendulkar says he is recovering well from shoulder surgery and should be ready to return to competitive cricket in four months.

"I am progressing quite well and will need at least 14 to 16 weeks," he said after flying out of London, where he went under the knife last month.

The batsman had to bypass three major one-day tournaments and two home Tests against Australia last season.

And he will miss a triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka in early August.

"We tried everything, but when nothing worked we had no option but to go for surgery," Tendulkar said of his enforced break from the game.

"The doctors have prepared a rehabilitation programme and I will be busy following that during this period."

The fourth-highest scorer in Test cricket with 10,134 runs in 123 matches, Tendulkar is also the world-record holder in one-day cricket with 13,642 runs in 348 matches, including 38 hundreds.

He now needs just one Test century to break compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's world record of 34.

Tendulkar declined to comment on the appointment of former Australian Test captain Greg Chappell as India's new coach.

"I have not met him yet, so what I can say," he remarked.

Chappell replaced former New Zealand captain John Wright as India's coach last month.