Ganguly, Lele and Malhotra strongly defend Kapil

Indian coach Kapil Dev has been gaining support from all quarters. From players to film stars, a large number of people have come out in support of the Kapil. The Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has openly stated that he does not believe the allegations levelled against the former Indian all rounder. Talking from England over the phone, Ganguly said, "Look at the system here. Persons are just naming cricketers of repute in the betting scandal. And then it is the duty of those accused to prove their innocence. Why should this happen. Let the persons who are accusing others come out with proof," said the Indian captain.

He also added, "It is high time that this mud slinging is stopped. Otherwise, the game will suffer. Players will not be able to concentrate on the game." Ganguly also made it very clear that he would have fought tooth and nail, if somebody had raised any allegations against him. "I would have taken the person then and there to the court to see the last of the matter."

The BCCI has also made it clear that it is behind Kapil Dev. Kapil's known enemy in the Board, Jaywant Lele has stated that there is no question of removing Kapil Dev from his present post. In an interview to a Bengali daily here, Lele said, "He will continue as the coach of the team. In fact we expect him to be at Pune when the conditioning camp for the Asia Cup starts. All the players have been asked to report to him."

Ashok Malhotra, who is a member of the selection committee has also come out in defence of the Indian coach. Malhotra, who is one of the closest friends of Kapil said, "There have been only two instances in my life when I have seen him crying. The first had been when he achieved the World Record at Ahmedabad. The second was during the television interview. However, I can say that the allegations raised by Manoj Prabhakar are completely baseless. We have all played and grown up with Prabhakar. We know what type of a character he is. Unless, Prabhakar mends his ways we will be forced to open our mouths also." Malhotra also stated that he knew Kapil better than anybody else. "I can state with confidence that Kapil Dev will never stoop so low. He is a man for whom the country comes even before his family. Such a person can never be involved in any scandal."

Bollywood star Mithun Chakrobarty, may be poles apart from the cricket field. However, he has always loved the game and on Monday, Chakrobarty called up Kapil Dev and conveyed his best wishes. Mithun Chakrobarty after acquiring the number from a local journalist called up Kapil Dev and said, "Whatever, people may say against you, I am with you. If you need anything from me while you fight to prove your innocence, I will support you."

The filmstar from Bengal, who has now set up base at Coonoor, also said, "We only have one image of Kapil Dev etched in our mind. That is when he held the World Cup with a big smile on his face on the balcony of Lords. We will remember you in that fashion even if a thousand allegations are raised against you. I wish you all the best in the fight to prove your innocence."