London, March 27: A surgery was conducted successfully in a London hospital on what is arguably India’s most precious shoulder but Sachin Tendulkar is likely to be out of action for two-three months.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Andrew Wallace said in a statement: “His arm will be immobilised in a sling for up to six weeks and it is unlikely that he will be fit for selection for international cricket for up to two to three months depending on regular review.”

Tendulkar, who flew in here on Saturday from Mumbai, was admitted to the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth this morning and underwent the surgery under local anaesthesia at 6.30 pm Indian time.

During the hour-long operation, wife Anjali was at the hospital, which is a stone’s throw from the Lord’s cricket ground in northwest London.

“The surgery proceeded successfully without any complications,” said Wallace, who had operated on Tendulkar only last year for a tennis elbow.

If he is out of action for that long, Tendulkar is likely to miss India’s tour of West Indies, beginning on May 18.

“At the time of the operation we found clear evidence of instability associated with a tear of the rim of the socket of the shoulder joint.

“The tear extended through 75 per cent of the biceps tendon and had created a large cyst that was impinging on a nearby nerve.

“Tendulkar underwent arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery to stabilise the shoulder joint and decompress the cyst.”

Wallace refused to take questions, saying he had been asked not to entertain any. “After consultation with Sachin, I have been instructed not to take any further questions,” he said.

The 32-year-old star batsman apparently suffered the injury to his right shoulder during a match with Sri Lanka late last year.

Orthopaedists have said it’s an injury he must have been carrying for some time but it was disclosed only during the Mumbai Test against England ? on the day the selectors picked the side for the one-day series starting tomorrow.

Set for discharge tomorrow, Tendulkar might be able to catch the action on television.

Playing for over 16 years now, Tendulkar has had a series of back, foot and hand injuries since 1999. Last year, he was sidelined for six months after surgery on the tennis elbow.

The injury has occurred at a time when the man with over 70 centuries in Tests and one-day matches is going through a bad patch. It robs him of the chance to get back into form during the one-day series against England and silence his critics. Tendulkar was infamously booed on home ground during the Mumbai Test India lost by more than 200 runs.

Although recovery will be uppermost on his mind, Tendulkar cannot but be aware of the fact that Australian captain Ricky Ponting is hot on his heels, scoring his 30th century today against South Africa. Tendulkar has 35 but Ponting his hitting tons almost every innings. He made 116 in the second innings of the Durban Test after 103 in the first, touching Sunil Gavaskar’s record of centuries in both innings of a Test thrice.

With agency reports