* Kumble has a "slightly stiff" shoulder

The sports medicine expert appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Dr Anant Joshi began assessing the fitness of the Indian bowlers for the South Africa tour at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai on Monday. The good doctor told reporters that he would be submitting his assessment report to the BCCI in the next two days.

"I thought it is better to talk to the bowlers and assess them at the MRF, so that when they appear for the fitness test in Mumbai on September 22, they could be judged once again," Dr Joshi told the Press Trust of India. "We do not want to rush things up, especially when the team is scheduled leave for South Africa on September 24."

Dr Joshi told the agency that he planned to take a particularly close look at the trio of Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra all of whom were to be assessed "subjectively and objectively".

On Monday, Kumble bowled for 45 minutes before Dr Joshi and Dennis Lillee. Dr Joshi found that Kumble seemed fine except for a "slight stiffness in his shoulders when he bowls."

Kumble, meanwhile, was convinced that he was in top shape. "I am fine and raring to go. I have not been experiencing any problem. I have bowled over 125 overs in three major domestic tournaments during the last two months."

Nehra and Zaheer will be put through the drills on Tuesday.

* Court admits Jadeja's writ

The Delhi High Court on Monday admitted Ajay Jadeja's writ challenging his five-year ban from all cricket-related activities after dismissing the BCCI's objection on the maintainability of the writ.

The BCCI had prayed that Jadeja's civil writ under Article 226 against it was not maintainable as it was not a state body but a society. Justice Mukul Mudgal though dismissed the BCCI's objection.

"When the Government lets a body like BCCI assume the prerogative of being a sole representative of India for cricket by permitting it to choose the team for appearance in events like world cup, then it necessarily imbues the Board with public function... so far as the regulation of the game is concerned," the court was reported as saying by the PTI.

Justice Mudgal added that he will decide on November 19 whether "the court should interfere in the facts of the present case, is to be decided in light of the tests laid down by the Supreme Court on writ jurisdiction".

Jadeja has challenged the five-year ban and the Ministry of Sports demand for a reply on why his Arjuna Award should not be withdrawn.

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