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Azhar rules himself out of contention

Deposed India cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin has ruled himself out of contention for a berth in the Sri Lanka-bound Indian team.

Replaced by Sachin Tendulkar as captain last week, Azharuddin was to tender his fitness certificate by Thursday. The selection committee meets in Baroda on Friday to select the Indian team for the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka. However, today he informed Board of Control for Cricket in India president Raj Singh Dungarpur that his recovery was not quick enough to play in the one-day series between India, Australia and the hosts in Colombo, from August 22.

Raj Singh, quoting the former captain, said: "Azharuddin reckoned that he will be fit by the end of this month."

When asked whether he (Azhar) was refering to any doctor's certificate, Raj Singh said, "Azharuddin should be in the best position to know about his fitness."

Azharuddin was operated on his throwing arm shoulder in England soon after the World Cup. He had then said that his shoulder required some mending after the wear and tear of about 16 years of international cricket. Later, he said he did not not want to rush into the arena if he had even the slightest doubt about his fitness and give a chance to his critics to further castigate him.

Meanwhile, former Australian skipper Allan Border, who is chairman of selectors of the Australian Cricket Board, in an exclusive chat with Rediff on The NeT, said, "Azhar has done the right thing rather than letting the selectors drop him. By opting out he has kept his chances of coming back into the team open."

Additional reportage: UNI

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