Sachin Tendulkar's plan to seek divine blessing ahead of the crucial second Test against South Africa went up in smoke.

The champion batsman had to return back disappointed from the Kalighat temple following a huge fan presence near the shrine.

However, a fit-again VVS Laxman, who is all set to return to the Indian team for the second Test against South Africa starting in Kolkata on Sunday after recovering from a finger injury, paid a successful visit to the temple.

"He (Tendulkar) went in a private vehicle and wanted to enter the temple premises through a separate entrance rather than the VIP gate where there was elaborate security. But the crowd spotted him inside the vehicle and he could not enter the temple," a CAB source said.

"Laxman, however, entered the temple through the VIP entrance amid elaborate security arrangement," he added.