From hall of fame to hall of shame

October 31 will go down as one of the darkest hours in cricket. Some of the cricketers who until recently were in the hall of fame have been pushed down to hall of shame, after being named in the Central Bureau of Investigations's (CBI) interim report on matchfixing which was made public by the Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa in New Delhi on Wednesday. The reaction to the names in the report has been along expected lines - denial by a few, no comments or 'I told you so.'

Releasing the report, Dhindsa said "The Law Ministry will decide if we can file charges against the Indian players. I am not certain what will happen about the foreign players." He added "I think there will be no match-fixing at least for the time being. It will have a good impact on the game." He added that the future plan of action would be chalked out after the comments from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Law were received. He said a copy of the report has been sent to these two Ministries as also to the Board for Control of Cricket in India.

Dhindsa said he has already convened a meeting with BCCI president AC Muthiah in New Delhi on November 3 to seek his views on the various aspects of the report including the remarks against the Board. The Minister said at present he was not in a position to spell out the action to be taken against the players named by the CBI in its probe report.

In the 162-page report, Sachin Tendulkar is believed to have told the CBI in his deposition that during his captaincy, he had suspected former captain Mohammad Azharuddin of not putting in cent per cent. Apparently, Tendulkar went on to say that Azharuddin's connections with bookies was the reason for the latter's lukewarm behaviour with teammates.

Meanwhile, India's legendary all rounder Kapil Dev in a statement has blamed the media for slurring his name and ruining his reputation. Talking to AFP in New Delhi on Wednesday, an angry Kapil Dev, said "The media refused to believe me when I said I was innocent. They first tear my clothes off and now offer me new ones to cover myself. "When I was accused of match-fixing, the papers splashed it on the front pages. But now that my name is cleared, it is buried somewhere at the back." He added "I am not interested in what the report says. It can't erase the pain and anguish I went through those days."

This was in reaction to Kapil's name being cleared by the CBI in the report where the agency said that it found no concrete evidence against the former Indian captain. The cricketing icon was accused by former Indian player Manoj Prabhakar of offering him Rs. 25 lakhs to underperform in a one-day international in the Singer Cup Trophy against Pakistan in Colombo in 1994.

Reactions were mixed from other quarters. Former Indian captain Ajay Jadeja echoed similar sentiments as Kapil saying the media sensationalised the issue. Jadeja said "When allegations were being made against Kapil Dev, the newspapers carried them on the front pages but now that he has been found innocent, he has been relegated to the back pages."

Jadeja, whose name figures in the report maintained that he was innocent. Talking to PTI in New Delhi on Tuesday, Jadeja said "Whatever I've come to know is from the media only. I am innocent." He went a step further and said he never appeared before the CBI and was never questioned by the agency or even asked to appear before it.

Jadeja added "But if the CBI asks, I'll not hesitate to appear before it. If any charge is proved against me, I will respect law as I am a law-abiding citizen." Jadeja, who represents Jammu and Kashmir this season also said that he was dropped from the team on the basis of his poor performance and said "I was dropped because of my poor performance and when I improve it, I will be back in the team."

Azharuddin, who has been named in the report refused to take calls. When contacted, Abrar Mohammed, Azhar's brother said "I have spoken to him and he expressed his unwillingness to make any statement at this stage."

In Baroda, former Indian wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia refused to comment. He said "I haven't seen the report. Therefore, I have no comments." A family member of former Indian team physiotherapist Ali Irani, who has also been named in the report, said his whereabouts were not known.

Meanwhile, BCCI president AC Muthiah said he was awaiting a copy of the report which will be handed over to BCCI's disciplinary committee. Muthiah said "It's premature to say anything at this stage, but I can promise that action will be taken against the guilty."

Muthiah also added that the BCCI's vigilance commissioner K Madhavan, a former CBI joint director, will give his opinion on the report which will be examined by a three-member disciplinary committee comprising him, Kamal Morarka and Ram Prasad. The disciplinary committee's recommendation will then go to the working committee for action. If it concerns the players, the working committee will take a decision and in the case of administrators, the general body will decide.