'I don't know why my name was mentioned without evidence': Kapil

There has been an anti-climax to the allegations in the ongoing matchfixing scandal. Former BCCI president Inderjit Singh Bindra said at a press conference in Chandigarh on Sunday that he does not have any concrete evidence against Kapil Dev.

The president of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Bindra said the former Indian allrounder Manoj Prabhakar had come to the city and disclosed the name of Kapil Dev to him and other PCA officials. He said "We have two witnesses to what Prabhakar said. One is MP Pandove, the secretary of PCA and the other an independent witness.

Bindra said he was not for tarnishing anybody's reputation and added "we at the PCA have done more to honour Kapil than the BCCI has". An IAS officer, Bindra said "If Prabhakar is proved wrong he will have to pay for it." Asked on his reply to Kapil's legal notice, Bindra said his counsel would reply on Monday.

The press conference was held after a meeting of the PCA working committee which discussed various issues including match-fixing. He alleged that the BCCI had penalised the PCA and stopped funding of about Rs.two crores to the association.

Meanwhile, Indian coach Kapil Dev was in Mumbai on Sunday for a charity match to raise funds for the drought affected areas in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Before proceeding to Pune for the preparatory camp he spoke to a cricket web site.

The 'Haryana Hurricane" said "I am not going to let Bindra get away with his allegations, he will be sued for defamation." He added that "I don't know why my name was mentioned without evidence. The allegation was without any proof, had caused him irreparable damage, and he had no choice but to take legal recourse.

The former Indian captain once again reiterated his earlier statement that India should not particiapate in any international matches till the mess is cleared. He said "I don't think the players are in the right frame of mind too," and opined that "a dropped catch, a run-out, a poor shot will be seen with doubt and suspicion. This will put enormous pressure on the players." A similar sentiment was expressed by the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly a couple of days back. In this context Kapil said "In today's circumstances even Sir Donald Bradman would be suspected if he was bowled for zero as he was in his last innings."

Finally Kapil felt that the game is in danger saying "What's happening is not good. We have to care for the game, not our egos." Instead "lets's concentrate on domestic cricket", he said.