But what happened in between? Tendulkar decided to skip the Caribbean tour and left for Chennai, to the MRF Academy, where former India physio Andrew Leipus and fitness trainer Ramji Srinivasan joined him.

Ramji, who was part of the Tendulkar ‘work in progress’, was there to see the fully fit master in full flow during the Challenger Trophy. Ramji recalls the days of rehabilitation — both physical and mental. “In my career as a trainer so far, I have never come across an individual so focused and clear in his thought as much as him,’’ he says. To stress the point, he throws in some technical jargon: muscle memory. “It is the ability to focus one’s mind on a certain part of the body and then the body reacting in the manner required. I have not seen many people who can apply their minds to that effect and with such enthusiasm,” he says.

Leipus was there for support too, but candidly admits: “He knew his body, his fitness and his mind more than anybody else. When he had decided, with such strong determination, that he would return to his best, there was nothing much one could add to it.’’ Looking back, Leipus says that Tendulkar’s reaction to a certain spark of the mind is exceptional. “If you give him a particular routine, he gets accustomed to it very quickly. It is like training commandos. They have that focus and know what their target is. Precisely that is how Tendulkar is,’’ adds Ramji.

... contd.