PTI
 
Ahmedabad, Oct 26: After regaining his touch as a batsman, Sachin Tendulkar could now display his bowling skills in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.

Team India Skipper Rahul Dravid said that Tendulkar was bowling in the nets and he was thinking of tossing the ball to him in the tournament.

"Sachin is coming along well (as a bowler). He is bowling a few balls in the nets. We might see him bowl a few overs in these games," Dravid told reporters here on Wednesday.

Tendulkar has not bowled in one-day internationals since coming back after an elbow surgery.

Of late, he has been turning his arms at the team's daily net sessions, with coach Greg Chappell keen to bring him back to the groove as a bowler for utilising his services during the World Cup in West Indies, where the wicket could be responsive to the star player's legbreaks and googlies.

Dravid, however, said that the team think tank was prepared to tread cautiously on the subject.

"We are not putting pressure on him. We don't want to rush him into something and risk him. We are taking it slowly. We are monitoring it carefully," the Indian captain said on the eve of the group ‘A’ match against the West Indies.

Tendulkar had in the past done yeoman's service to India as a bowler in the smaller version of the game, in which he has so far picked up 142 wickets in 368 ODIs.

Known to break partnerships, most of Tendulkar's wickets have come at crucial junctures of the game.

Tendulkar's bowling exploits first came to limelight in the Hero Cup semifinals in which he denied the South Africans a victory while bowling a tense last over and sparked off a wild celebration at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

From then on, whenever the ball was tossed up to him, the Mumbaikar has tried everything up his sleeve – from orthodox leg spin to medium fast – and rattled the best of batsmen with his clever mix.

"We know how effective he can be as a bowler. And some very important tournaments are coming up where his services will be needed," Dravid said.

He said that gradually Tendulkar will be able to bowl his full quota of ten overs in matches.

"It's an ongoing process of getting him to bowl consistently and get him to bowl the full quota of ten overs in the big games," he said.