Azhar trying hard to regain fitness

Former India skipper Mohammed Azharuddin has been trying very hard to regain his physical fitness. He was seen jogging with a plastered thumb at the Wankhede Stadium ground on Friday evening after the day's play had ended. Azhar was selected for the Mumbai Test but he sustained an injury last week while playing for the Board President's XI against the South Africans.

However, Azhar does not seem to have consulted any of the three doctors - Jawahar Pachore, an orthopaedic surgeon attached to a Bombay hospital who found no fracture initially, Kinjal Suratwalla, a doctor in sports medicine, and Nitin Gajjar, a hand specialist orthopaedic surgeon attached to Parel's Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital. From the conversations this correspondent held with all of them, it is gathered that Azhar has not contacted them so far. Kinjal Sutarwalla was present at the stadium on Friday. The doctors can treat the patient provided the patient makes himself available.

The Board also does not seem to have approached any of them regarding Azhar's injury. The decision regarding Azhar's fitness is likely to be taken now by team physio Andrew Leipus, it is understood.