Toe injury or not, Sachin Tendulkar is still in the driver’s seat
Staff and Agencies23-Aug-2001* A 12 crore ‘fiat’ for Sachin; champion PalioToe injury or not, Sachin Tendulkar is still in the driver’s seat. Thelittle master, according to media reports, has signed a Rupees 12crore deal with Italian car major Fiat to promote their small carPalio in India.The contract, supposedly for two years, makes Sachin the ‘brandchampion” for the small car which will be launched in India in thethird week of September. Tendulkar’s “elevated level of performance,dynamic creative strokeplay and attitude” are what make him the idealchoice for the role according to Fiat officials.The deal is one of thebiggest endorsement deals ever in India, ranking very high even on theTendulkar chart.* Abid Ali new Andhra coachFormer Test star, Syed Abid Ali, has been appointed coach of theAndhra team, the Deccan Chronicle reported on Wednesday. The 59-yearold Ali, who scored 1018 runs and claimed 47 wickets in 29 Tests forIndia between 1967-68 and 1974-75, was excited about his new job. “Iwill be soon going to Visakhapatnam where I will be coaching between25 to 30 probables for about a month. The Ranji team will be selectedin this camp,” he said. Ali also added that he would be laying greateremphasis on improving the fitness of players, which he felt was a muchneglected area.* Prabhakar’s bail in doubtFormer Test cricketer Manoj Prabhakar’s bail application before theUttaranchal High Court in the Chit Fund case might be rejected afterone of the sureties decided to withdraw. Preetpal, who hails fromHaldwani are of Nainital district, pleaded before the Chief JudicialMagistrate (CJM), Nainital on Wednesday that he wanted to withdraw ashe was unable to furnish the bond of Rs 50,000.He added that he had agreed to stand surety only at the insistence ofhis relatives and he never knew Prabhakar personally. The Nainital CJMhad earlier agreed to grant bail to Prabhakar if he could find twosureties who would also have to furnish a bond of Rupees 50,000 each.Prabhakar, admitted to a private nursing home in Haldwani following asuspected brain stroke, is currently recovering in a hospital.
