COLOMBO (Sri Lanka) - Sachin Tendulkar is feeling the pinch and it is not the continual backache which has left his limited overs career hanging by a thread.

As India's most recognised export (Basmati rice and curry spices apart) he is becoming so stressed from an assortment of match schedule demands and overexposure this year the physical strain is starting to show barely six weeks into his second spell as captain.

Whether it is a question of the Indian hierarchy pandering to the whims of TV moguls or their own greed about making a quicker buck from selling match rights than they can do through the gates, the weight on Tendulkar's stocky frame has become considerable. And just how India manage to perform without him has left a distinct uneasy feeling as the side packs and heads for Singapore for yet another LOI series: this one involves West Indies and Zimbabwe.

After they move on to Toronto then home again for a brief 'howdy do' reunion with the family before collecting their passports again with visa's for Kenya and a quadrangular tournament which also involves South Africa. And that takes them into October when they get back for a series against New Zealand.

This crazy schedule has created doubt in some of the travelling Indian media about the board's demands on a team which was shown up as decidedly mediocre in Sri Lanka in the Aiwa Cup series against the hosts and Australia. There is also doubt whether Tendulkar, considering his back problems, can last the demanding schedule of matches.

Not for the first time has the Board of Control for Cricket in India ignored suggestions of developing younger talent and there is a distinct impression in some areas close to the team the board they are prescribing selection policy to make it easier to sell TV packages. Which begs the question, what happens when Tendulkar's back injury becomes so crippling he is forced to retire?

Just as Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garry Sobers and Sir Leonard Hutton were unique, and Steve Waugh is equally a modern legend so is the Indian master: you cannot manufacture players; they are born with the talent, refining the skills is part of the job. It was sad when he felt there was a need to play in the game against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Sunday.

If Tendulkar is not around to duel with the world's best, India's batting is in danger of becoming decidedly impotent when facing bowling attacks in the post World Cup era. Even team insiders are admitting the Indian bowlers have lost what penetration they had during the opening matches. While the defeat by Zimbabwe can be blamed on poor batting, the games during this particular tournament in Sri Lanka are the result of poor bowling and fielding.

What is the use of Tendulkar risking further injury to his back if the bowling and the fielding cannot support the man who gave them an outside chance to qualify? If he has to carry this burden to Singapore and Toronto and India fail yet again, it should be time to ask questions of those making the demands and impoverishing the India side even further.

As Pradeep Magazine, author of a book of how India's modern panjandrums pull the puppet strings 'It is not Cricket' to suit their own sitar music and ignore the developing crisis in the game, Tendulkar's injury is just a part of a problem 'they would wish would disappear'.

``If they (the board) are serious about preserving his talent, they should stop him playing in the remaining limited overs matches until his back injury has been accurately diagnosed,'' he commented last night after India had beaten Sri Lanka but lost out on run rate because the bowlers had performed so poorly.

``Perhaps it is well,'' he thoughtfully reflected, ``we did not qualify for this final. It would have papered over so many cracks in the side.'' A man whose probing thoughts have bit under the skin of BCCI members because his comments are too close to the truth for comfort, Pradeep's views are shared by many of the India media. While Sri Lanka are engaged enthusiastically in a rebuilding process which is already showing some signs of success, if only at LOI level, India a floundering from one disaster to another.

A land with almost a billion inhabitants, India should be among the top four Test and LOI playing nations. What happened to the talent of the Youth World Cup side in South Africa in January 1998? The stars of the future have been ignored while New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and even the West Indies are preparing their talent for the future. India, it appears has no development programme, a sad indictment for a nation in an area which has much more than passion for the game, once described as being 'Indian but invented by the English'.