Shastri makes a silent walk to CBI

The dust is yet to settle down after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) meeting in Bangalore but there has been a significant development on the match-fixing front. Continued debates over Indian coach Kapil Dev's outburst against the BCCI and the code of conduct being fodder for the media, hardly anyone came to know that former Indian captain Ravi Shastri had recently made a quiet visit to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to depose before the agency till Press Trust of India reported it on Monday.

Shastri's appearance before the agency for over an hour assumes significance for he is the only player to have corroborated Manoj Prabhakar's allegation that Kapil Dev offered the player a bribe of Rs.25 lakhs to under perform in Sri Lanka. Shastri deposed before the agency's special crime branch and was questioned on his interview to a web site immediately after Prabhakar made the claim. It is also learnt that he was questioned on the clandestine interview to Prabhakar.

PTI sources close to the agency however said CBI refused to reveal whether the former Indian all rounder corroborated the statement. The sources however added that Shastri was questioned about his reported comments made on a web site against the functioning of the BCCI and whether he had any information about match-fixing in cricket.

Agency sources said that Prabhakar's deposition and subsequent submission of the secretly shot video tapes changed the complexion of the case. Therefore re-examining of all those on the tapes was being carried out. The sources added the tapes were only circumstantial evidence as per law and it was necessary to cross-check with the players and officials.

Shastri is the tenth player to be questioned by the CBI apart from officials and bookies. The CBI is expected to call Sunil Gavaskar soon for he is also on the video tapes submitted by Prabhakar.

In a related development, a Delhi Police spokesman on Monday said in New Delhi that "they have excellent evidence to back up the charges of match-fixing against Hansie Cronje." However, talking to a news agency, Delhi Police joint commissioner of the Crime Branch KK Paul, said "the delay in our probe is in the investigations abroad."

Police sources said that prosecution can begin only after the overseas probe conducted by Interpol on behalf of the Indian police concludes its investigation. Paul said "We have now excellent evidence and a very strong case but still we don't want to rush with our investigations."

The crime branch taped Cronje's conversations with the London-based Sanjay Chawla, before lodging criminal cases against Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom in April this year. Paul said the name of a fifth South African player, Henry Williams, had cropped up several times in the taped conversations of Cronje and Chawla. "Williams will be part of the overseas investigations," Paul added.

Meanwhile, the code of conduct finalised by the BCCI last week has barred officials and players from carrying cellular phones to the grounds on match days or even for practice sessions. The code has also put a gag on players from making allegation or talking to the media. This ban comes at the wake of the "Hansiegate scam" and the role of the cell phone on which bookies made contact with players during the course of the game.