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Ajay Jadeja optimisticNEW DELHI: Injured middle-order batsman Ajay Jadeja has said he was ``99 per cent certain'' of being fully fit ahead...

Ajay Jadeja optimistic
NEW DELHI: Injured middle-order batsman Ajay Jadeja has said he was “99 per cent certain” of being fully fit ahead of the triangular one-day series involving India, Australia and Pakistan to be played in January.

“I am feeling better,” Jadeja, who has just returned from South Africa after consulting a specialist for his shoulder injury, said in Doordarshan’s Sportstime programme.

The former Indian vice-captain said he has undertaken a rehabilitation programme spanning 25 days instead of going in for surgery as the latter would have put him out of the game for six months, a press release issued by TWI, producers of the programme, said today.

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Natl Blind cricket
CALCUTTA: Altogether four teams will vie for top honours in the 7th National Cricket Championship for the Blind to be held at various venues here from December 20 to 23.

Meawnhile, the second World Cup cricket tournament for the Blind would be held in New Zealand from January one, 2002.

KRVP Raoretires
JAMSHEDPUR: Veteran left-arm spinner and former Bihar captain Kasi Reddy Var Prasad Rao has retired from first class cricket. Rao sent his retirement letter to Bihar Cricket Association secretary BN Singh.

Twice declared Bihar Cricketer of The Year, Rao has to his credit 205 wickets in 51 Ranji Trophy matches. His best bowling performance was 7-74 against Tripura at Jamshedpur in 1994-95.

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Mumbai duo win
HYDERABAD: Subhash Gupta and Suhas Vaidya lifted the Holkar Trophy having won the Pairs event with 1082 points in the National Bridge Championship.

The Gupta-Vaidya partnership is not a recognised one. But both the players did not indulge in fancy bidding nor they resorted to any experimental game which brought glory to the pair. The unheard pair of R Venkatesh and A Ranasaria became runners up with 1069 points.

Hockey camp
JAMMU: A fortnight-long coaching camp for the Indian hockey squad began at the KK Hakhu AstroTurf Hockey Stadium, here this evening. Aftercompletion of the camp the team will go to.

Barcelona, Spain for participation in the four-nation hockey cup. Besides India, Canada, Spain and Germany will be the participants. Later, the team will extend its stay to play some friendly matches with Canada and Belgium.

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Of the 30-member squad only 23 have arrived while others including Dhanraj Pillai and skipper Baljit Dhillon and the senior coach Bhaskaran are likely to reach here tomorrow morning said the assistant coach CR Kumar who is also the chief coach of the junior Indian team.

DD dumped
CHENNAI: The Star Sports has earned the right to telecast the ATP Gold Flake Open Tennis Championship starting here from Jan 3 next year.

The deal has shut the doors for Doordarshan, which had been telecasting the event for the last five years (once in New Delhi and thrice in Chennai).

Incidentally, the Chennai event has been adjudged as the best run and promoted tournament for three successive years by the ATP tour amongst its events throughout theworld.

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Rahman dead
KOZHIKODE: P Abdul Rahman, ace volleyball player and sports organiser, died at his residence here this morning following a heart attack, family sources said. He was 65. Rahman is survived by wife, three sons and a daughter.

Abdul Rahman was a member of the Indian volleyball team which clinched bronze in the Tokyo Asian Games in 1958. He began his sporting career playing for the Madras state team in 1954.

He was the coach of the Calicut University volley-ball team for the last few years.

ENS & Agencies