* Kumble bowls, says he is not feeling any discomfort

After a ninth-month lay-off from cricket, Indian spin ace Anil Kumble bowled for the first time at a full-fledged competitive level on Thursday and said he did not feel any discomfort, indicating that he woul be totally fit in about two months.

Kumble, who is leading the Karnataka State Cricket Association team, sent down ten overs at a stretch against Andhra in a three-day match of the KSCA Diamond Jubilee All India tournament in Bangalore. "I did not feel discomfort at all. I got my line and length alright. Hopefully, I will get a wicket tomorrow, " Kumble, who had figures of 10-1-26-0, said.

Kumble had already said he was hoping to return to the Indian side for the tour to South Africa in October. Having already taken 276 wickets in 61 Tests, the leg-spinner is also looking forward to cross the 300 mark. He has returned to competitive cricket after withdrawing midway through a one-day series in Sharjah in October last year and then undergoing shoulder surgery in Johannesburg in January.

* Double delight for Venkatesh Prasad

It was a day of double delight for Karnataka medium pacer Venkatesh Prasad. He was recalled for the three Test series in Sri Lanka starting later this month, and won the Arjuna award. First came the news that he has been included in the 16-member team, and hours later it was known that he was among the 16 Arjuna awardees announced for 2000-01.

"I am very happy to be back....I am eager to bowl," Prasad told reporters in Bangalore on getting the news. "I have been working on my fitness."

News of his inclusion in the team came in the midst of a match in the KSCA Diamond Jubilee All India tournament for the Coromandel Cement Cup. Prasad is a member of the KSCA XI, which is playing against Andhra in a three-day match of the tournament.

"The wickets in Sri Lanka are not very helpful for fast bowlers. But I will bowl a steady line and length and wait for the batsmen to make mistakes," he said.

* Four East Zone Academy players for NCA

Four players from the East Zone Academy have been selected for the National Cricket Academy. They are Mihir Diwakar of Bihar, Subit Biswal and Rakesh Mohanty of Orissa and Ritesh Jaiswal of Bengal.

Mihir Diwakar represented the Under-19 Indian team in the World Cup while Rakesh Mohanty represented the Under-17 Indian team which won the Asian Championship at Dhaka last year. Ritesh Jaiswal has been selected for the Bengal Ranji probables for the coming season.

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