da leao： Sachin Tendulkar’s absence in the ongoing triangular series in SriLanka, due to a hairline fracture to his right toe, will give greateropportunity to youngsters to perform and prove themselves, thechairman of the selection committee Chandu Borde
Staff and Agencies20-Jul-2001* Opportunity for youngsters to prove themselves: BordeSachin Tendulkar’s absence in the ongoing triangular series in SriLanka, due to a hairline fracture to his right toe, will give greateropportunity to youngsters to perform and prove themselves, thechairman of the selection committee Chandu Borde said on Thursday.Talking to PTI over phone from Pune, Borde said “of course, no one canreplace Tendulkar but at the same time it will be a great opportunityfor the youngsters to show their true mettle. They (youngsters) shouldgrab this opportunity with both the hands and score runs to establishthemselves,” he added.”There is a ten-day gap between the tri-series and three Test matchesand I only hope that Sachin will be fit in time for the Tests,” Bordesaid.Meanwhile, Dr Anant Joshi, who has been treating Tendulkar’s injuredfoot, said another bone scan would be taken in a couple of weeks timeto judge the healing progress. “We are trying to reduce the load onthe injured area and he has been advised not to run and walk as lessas possible for speedy recovery,” he added.* India pulled out due to heavy schedule, says MuthiahA heavy schedule and the unofficial status of the three-match limitedovers series were the reasons for India opting out of a trip toAustralia in September, the president of the Board of Control forCricket in India AC Muthiah said in Chennai on Thursday.”I discussed with all the players of the Indian team. They hadexplained to me that after their return from Sri Lanka, the team is togo to Pakistan for the Asian Test Championship and then on a full tourto South Africa. After playing England at home, the team would beleaving for the West Indies,” Muthiah said in a statement. Meanwhile,he said, the team is to visit England for a benefit match for theSurrey County Cricket Club, to be organised by former Prime MinisterJohn Major.The Board President said “The players’ feeling that they are underheavy load of cricket was considered and then I had explained to DavidRogers, chief of the Australian Cricket Board, about our inability toconfirm participation in the three game series. Considering the numberof official tours, the BCCI decided against the players’ participationin the Super Challenge series, which is an unofficial one,” Muthiahadded.* Azhar’s case adjourned to Aug 2 as BCCI gets interim stayA Hyderabad civil court on Thursday adjourned to August 2 the hearingof the main petition of former Indian cricket captain Md Azharuddin,challenging the life ban imposed on him by the Cricket Board.The second additional chief judge of city civil court J Shyam SunderRao posted the hearing to the next date in view of the interim staygranted by the High Court on further proceedings of the case, based ona revision petition filed by the BCCI in the High Court on Wednesday.Justice Sudarshan Reddy of AP High Court granted interim stay onfurther proceedings of the main petition filed by Azharuddin after thelower court rejected a BCCI plea for more time to file a writtenstatement on the match fixing scandal.The BCCI also filed an interlocutory petition in the lower courtbefore Shyam Sunder Rao seeking the striking down of certain avermentsin Azhar’s main petition and sought more time to file the writtenstatement but the lower court insisted on filing the statement by July19. Aggrieved by the lower court, the BCCI filed the revision petitionfor an interim order.* BCCI observers meet Laloo YadavA three-member panel of the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) observers, headed by executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar onThursday met the Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and the president ofBihar Cricket Association (BCA) Laloo Prasad Yadav to discuss therenewal of the BCA registration and infrastructure available in Patna.The Chief Minister assured the delegation that her government wouldprovide all possible help for promoting cricket in the state. She alsodemanded relocation of the one-day international between Zimbabwe andIndia from Jamshedpur to Patna, a match which has already beenallocated to Bihar by the BCCI. She said efforts were on to set upflood-lights at the Moin-ul-Haq stadium in Patna for day-nightinternational cricket matches.