Rahul, Sachin down with viral fever

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have been laid low by viral fever, adding to India's misery.

Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have been laid low by viral fever, compounding the misery of an already low-on-morale Indian team.

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However, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, who missed out on India's opening game against Pakistan also due to viral fever, have recovered completely to allay some of the tension of team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus.

Dravid and Tendulkar confined themselves to their hotel rooms even as the rest of the team took a break from practice and indulged in a stroll along the picturesque canals and shopping streets of a cosmopolitan yet compact Amsterdam.

Tendulkar, already suffering from a tennis elbow, could not have hoped for a worse outing in this European country.

He was even having difficulty in speaking because of the effect of the fever.

Leipus said he was busy giving Tendulkar treatment for his tennis elbow and hoped the great man would return to action once the Indians crossed over to England for the Natwest Challenge (Sep 1-5) and the ICC Champions Trophy (Sep 10-25).

Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was also in the grip of viral fever.