India's batting had lost much of its flair, flamboyance and fire in the absence of Tendulkar, who was out for nearly five months following shoulder surgery.

India breathed a sigh of relief when the 33-year-old smashed a hundred and then a half-century in the recent triangular one-day series in Kuala Lumpur to prove that all was well with form and fitness.

It was feared that the Champions Trophy, which starts on Saturday, would lose much of its flavour with so many prominent players out of action.

But Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, South Africans Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, and Pakistan's paceman Shoaib Akhtar are also all back to add relish to the tournament.

The trophy provides ample opportunity for most teams to assess the fitness of key players before major assignments, like the Ashes in Australia next month and the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

McGrath, Tendulkar, Kallis and Akhtar have each played a couple of matches ahead of the real action involving all 10-Test playing nations.

Tendulkar and McGrath needed just one tournament in KualaLumpur to remind the opposition that a long lay-off had not dampened their skills.

West Indies captain Brian Lara described Tendulkar as an "exceptional talent" and "a sight to behold" and urged his players to learn from the Indian.

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said: "Sachin is the best player I have seen and the best player I have played against.

"When I look at his overall record, something like 75 hundreds (35 in Tests and 40 in one-dayers) in international cricket, that is just an amazing statistic."

McGrath showed his form only in flashes, but it was enough to convince India captain Rahul Dravid that his seamers would gain a lot by just watching the premier Aussie paceman.

"He is fantastic. There are a lot of young bowlers in our team and just to watch McGrath is a great learning experience for them," said Dravid.

England will be playing in the tournament with their eyes firmly fixed on the Ashes. They desperately need a fit Flintoff, who has not played a one-day international since April due to an ankle injury.

Flintoff, instrumental in the Ashes triumph last year with 402 runs and 24 wickets, may not carry injury-hit England into the semi-finals but his fitness will be the key to fortunes in Australia.

South Africa are at full strength with the return of ace all-rounder Kallis and skipper Graeme Smith, who were forced to skip a Test series in Sri Lanka in July due to injuries.

Kallis played three one-dayers against a depleted Zimbabwean side last month and became the first cricketer to complete 8,000 runs and 200 wickets in both forms of the game.

It was only a warm-up series for the South Africans, who now face sharper attacks from Pakistan, New Zealand and a qualifying team (probably either the West Indies or Sri Lanka) in pool matches.

Fast bowler Akhtar has given Pakistan many victories as well as headaches because of his frequent breakdowns. He played just four one-day internationals this year, all in England.

He has plenty of fans in India and his duel with Tendulkar has always been the talk of the town. It is as eagerly anticipated as Tendulkar versus McGrath.

"I still have to work hard to get into my rhythm, hopefully it will come in India where the crowds give you the sort of encouragement you need to bowl at your best," said Akhtar.