Indian news round-up
Although there might be a lot wrong with Indian cricket at the moment, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is flush with funds
Anand Vasu
14-Sep-2000
BCCI flush with funds
Although there might be a lot wrong with Indian cricket at the moment, the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is flush with funds. The
balance sheet for the last financial year shows a surplus of around half a
million US dollars. Interestingly, the last decade has seen the Board
generate over 14 million US dollars in revenue.
The Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Board, SK Nair said that this
was mainly due to the quantum leap in revenue earned from selling of
television rights. He added "It was the story of prince charming." The
change in fortunes for the board began when Inderjit Singh Bindra and
Jagmohan Dalmiya got together many years back and saw the potential market
in India.
Ajay Sharma yet to file tax returns
Ajay Sharma is back in the news. The Delhi all rounder who once made a name
for himself by scoring heaps of runs in the domestic competitions has in
the recent past made the headlines for reported links with the world of
matchfixers and betters. While he was playing league cricket in England he
was contacted by officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation and a
statement from him was recorded.
It now turns out that Sharma has not filed Income Tax returns for the last
financial year despite being in a position where he would be certainly
earning enough to be in the highest tax bracket. Sharma's house was raided
earlier in a nationwide move when the residences and offices of various
cricketers and officials were searched
Prabhakar ready to take lie detector test
Manoj Prabhakar opened up a Pandora's box when he claimed months ago that
Kapil Dev offered him Rs 25 lakhs to underperform in a One Day
international in 1994. Since then investigations into betting and
matchfixing have gained momentum world wide. However, no conclusive proof
has emerged so far. It has been a case of taking one man's word against
another. Prabhakar, the man at the centre of it all, told a website that he
was ready to take a lie detector test at any time.
Prabhakar added that his lawyers had told him that it was well within his
rights to decline, but he was ready to go ahead with the test anyway. The
former Indian cricketer seems very keen to substantiate his claims. In an
unrelated happening, Income Tax authorities told agencies that they would
be speaking with Kapil Dev again in the near future.