On his arrival in Mumbai, Tendulkar said, "It [the recovery process] is progressing quite well and I will need 14 to 16 weeks to return to competitive cricket. I have been given a programme [by the doctors] to follow. I will go back to London to consult the doctor again."
While Tendulkar was abroad, India's cricket board took a major step by appointing Greg Chappell as coach to succeed the departing John Wright. According to Press Trust of India, Tendulkar refused to be drawn on the subject. "I need to meet him," was all that he would say when queried about the new appointment.
Interestingly, when Tendulkar was going through a wretched run ahead of the final Test in Sydney in 2003-04, Chappell's was one of the few voices of reason, insisting that it was a question of when, rather than if, he would come good. In his very next innings, Tendulkar walked out and obliterated Steve Waugh's dreams of a triumphant farewell with an innings for the ages - an unbeaten 241.