Wimbledon, June 29: Sachin Tendulkar is discovering there are certain advantages to being injured. While his India cricket teammates faced Bangladesh in the Asian Cup on Saturday, the master batsman was a guest in the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

The 34-year-old Tendulkar has been in England to play as a guest for the Lashings World XI while he recovers from a lingering groin strain. He needs only 172 runs to become the highest run-scorer in test cricket history.

Tendulkar might have compared medical notes in the Center Court seating with English rugby's emerging star Danny Cipriani. The flyhalf _ hailed as the successor to Jonny Wilkinson _ is sidelined until November after breaking his right ankle in a club game for Wasps.

IOC president Jacques Rogge was also there, inspecting the tennis venue for the 2012 Olympics alongside Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organizing committee, and rower Steve Redgrave, Britain's five-time Olympic gold medalist.

Football greats were represented in the Royal Box packed with sportsmen, with England's 1966 World Cup winners Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst joining former national coach Bobby Robson in the prestigious seats.