Prabhakar vs Kapil: Fast bowlers hunt in pairs?

There was a time when the phrase 'Kapil's Devils' was trendy. What devils lurk behind India's greatest all rounder only time will tell. Former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India Inderjit Singh Bindra has named Kapil Dev as the man who offered Manoj Prabhakar Rs 25 lakh to underperform in a Singer Cup match in Sri Lanka in 1994. On CNN's Q & A programme, Bindra revealed that Prabhakar told him that Kapil Dev was the man he named.

Less than a week ago, Prabhakar, writing a column for Cricketnext.com said he had named the player who offered him money to underperform to a 'big gun' in the government. He also added that he had not seen any evidence of either the security or the release of the benevolent fund money that he was promised. Though he says he has named the player, Prabhakar has since refused to name him in a public forum. He has also kept the name of the government official close to his chest.

Bindra now says categorically that he spoke to Prabhakar a week ago and in that conversation he was told that Kapil Dev was the 'senior player' in question. Not surprisingly, Kapil Dev was quick to dismiss the latest developments, terming the developments a "joke that has gone too far." He went on to add that he felt he did not have to prove himself after playing for India for 20 years. Kapil Dev, smarting under the allegation, also said that he was not interested in personal vendettas. He closed by saying that the government's action should take its course. The government looks a bit confused on the issue already. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have no experience in dealing with inquiries of this kind. They are looking for somewhere to begin. Bindra might just have given them that opening.

Prabhakar has also said that he would tell all to the CBI. The hornet's nest has long been stirred by Prabhakar. It is now years since he first made allegations that he was approached by a teammate to `tank' a match. The fact that he has revealed the name of the player is the first really concrete step in getting to the bottom of this mess.

When this correspondent made an attempt to contact Prabhakar at his residence, he was told that he was away in Lucknow on a business trip and that Prabhakar would be back in Delhi tomorrow.

The controversy is gaining momentum. With more and more people being dragged in, it could very easily degenerate into a free for all in the near future. As they say in the banking business, ``if you owe the bank a million, the bank owns you. On the other hand, if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank.'' The CBI enquiry will work very well if the rumour that government officials themselves are involved turns out to be false. Many a CBI enquiry has resulted in issues being completely swept under the carpet. This time however, the scale of the inquiry, the magnitude of money that has allegedly changed hands, the geographical spread of the people involved and escalating media interest indicates that this controversy is not going to be forgotten in a hurry.