I'm innocent, will fight to prove it - Hiken Shah

Hours after being suspended by the BCCI after the board found him guilty of making corrupt approach to a Mumbai team-mate, batsman Hiken Shah has stressed he is "innocent".

"I am innocent. I have not done anything wrong," Shah told ESPNcricinfo from Lancashire, United Kingdom. When asked if he had made the alleged approach to his Mumbai team-mate, who also represents IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, Shah said, "All I will say is I am innocent and I will fight to prove it."

Earlier in the day, however, Shah told the television news channel Times Now that he had met the said player for coaching-related activities. "I have no idea what is happening. I had just met him for a coaching thing and not any irregular activity," he said.

Though ESPNcricinfo has confirmed the identity of the player who reported the incident in March, his name cannot be revealed as the BCCI has not officially announced it.

It is understood that approximately a fortnight before the eighth edition of the IPL commenced on April 8, Shah was training with some of his Mumbai team-mates. After training, he sat with the Royals cricketer in his car and allegedly tried to convince him to cheat during one of the games. Shah allegedly told the player he didn't have much cricket left in him and considering he didn't fetch exceptional price at the auction, he should think of making a quick buck by cheating in a game.

The Royals player told him to stop and immediately discussed the conversation with another Mumbai and Royals colleague. The duo decided to report it to the Royals team management, since the player approached was sure it wasn't a prank. The Royals management immediately alerted the BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit who took almost three months to investigate the matter before prima facie finding him guilty.

The ACU is understood to have sent a show-cause notice to Shah and the batsman thought the ACU officials were satisfied with his replies. It is also understood that Shah had asked if he could go to England for playing minor county leagues and he was granted permission by the BCCI.

Shah has been playing for Whalley Cricket Club in the Ribblesdale Cricket League, a minor county league in Lancashire, since May and has amassed eight fifties and two centuries in the 15 innings so far this season.

Shah, however, is expected to return home by the weekend in a bid to clear his name. He is likely to be asked to appear before the BCCI disciplinary committee, headed by president Jagmohan Dalmiya.

Shah is stunned by the BCCI's action and he is not alone. Shah is considered to be one of the most soft-spoken and disciplined cricketers in Mumbai and coupled with his sound background - his father involved in garment business and Shah is employed with the customs department - the incident has left many members of Mumbai's cricket fraternity shocked.

While Sanjay Patil, the former Mumbai spinner who played a pivotal role in helping Shah get employed by customs, was speechless, Mumbai's chief selector, Milind Rege, said such an activity was least expected from someone like Shah.

"It is absolutely shocking. One doesn't expect in today's times when the vigilance level has gone up so high for such things to happen, more so from someone like Hiken," Rege said. "One has known this boy for some time. He has always been one of the quiet ones. Least expected from somebody like him."

The BCCI suspension has become the biggest talking point in Shah's almost decade-long inconsistent run in first-class cricket for Mumbai. The left-handed batsman made his debut in a league game against Rajasthan in 2006-07 and in his first innings, applied himself for well over an hour before stumps to see off the opening day. That prompted MiD-DAY, a Mumbai tabloid, to carry a piece on him with the headline "He-ken bat". First ball of the next morning, Shah attempted an extravagant on-drive to hole out to mid-on. Later in the season, he was one of five Mumbai batsmen dismissed for a duck in the semi-final against Baroda and was dropped for the final.

After failing to find a permanent place in the side over the next couple of seasons, he accepted an offer from Jammu & Kashmir to play as a professional in 2009-10. He scored 242 runs in seven innings in the Plate league and decided to return to his home side the next season. He was also employed with the customs department at this time.

The Mumbai Cricket Association has a rule that a home player who wants to be reconsidered for selection, after playing for another team, has to spend a one-year cooling-off period and Shah spent that time scoring heavily for his office team as well his club side, Payyade Sports Club, owned by Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Dr PV Shetty.

By then, he had established himself as a steady batsman, someone who could hold one end together and let other batsmen rally around him. The run of form helped him make a return to Mumbai's Ranji Trophy side midway through the 2011-12 season. The next season, 2012-13, turned out to be his standout season.

With 773 runs at an average of 55.21, Shah was one of the architects of Mumbai's 40th Ranji title. In his only Ranji final, he scored a fifty against Saurashtra. His form prompted the zonal selectors to pick him in the West Zone team but he failed against a formidable South Zone attack.

He failed to achieve the same consistency in the last two seasons, and lost his place in the side midway through the last season. He questioned his exclusion in local press and, as a result, he was not considered for the rest of the season.