Mumbai, Apr 7: Sachin Tendulkar will miss India's third and final Test against South Africa with a groin injury but Indian Premier League's Mumbai Indians team is optimistic that their captain would regain fitness to play the Twenty20 tournament beginning April 18.

"Sachin is a player who does not like to miss any games. I am sure the physio will take care of him and he will be all right in time for the IPL," Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput said today.

Tendulkar, had missed the second Test between India and South Africa at Ahmedabad due to a groin injury.

Rajput refused to confirm whether Tendulkar, with Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya. Would open the innings for the team.

"There are four to five options that we have. We will look at the opposition team and wicket before deciding the openers for a match," he said.

The Mukesh Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians will start a preparatory camp on April 11, a week ahead of the beginning of the cash-rich league which will see eight teams competing.

The team management also announced the appointment of television commentator Harsha Bhogle as an advisor to the team who will aid in the planning of strategy.

While acknowledging that he had never worked in the managment of a team before, Bhogle said he was looking forward to aiding in the planning of the team's strategy.

R Balachandran, the team's CEO, said the squad will also be starting their promotional campaigns in the coming days to connect with potential fans.

"The fans will have a chance to interact with the team through the website and other means," he said.

Tendulkar maintains second spot in ODI batting list

Dubai: Injured Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar held on to his second spot, while his One-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni occupies the 10th spot in the ICC ODI rankings issued today.The master batsman, who jumped to second spot after his scintillating performance in the tri-series in Australia last month, has 777 rating points, 15 behind numero uno South African captain Graeme Smith. The 10th-placed Dhoni is followed by his deputy Yuvraj Singh at 17th. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, at 19th, is the only Indian bowler in the top 20. In the ODI championship table, India retained its fourth place though with the prospect of Pakistan narrowing the gap if it clean sweeps its five-match ODI series against Bangladesh starting in Lahore tomorrow. Pakistan is currently at fifth on 109 ratings points, four behind India and two ahead of Sri Lanka.

If Shoaib Malik`s side wins the series 5-0, it will earn one rating point, bringing it just three behind India and three ahead of Sri Lanka. If Bangladesh manages to win two matches in the series, it will drop Pakistan to 105 ratings points, the same as that of England, but in seventh place behind Paul Collingwood`s side, when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.