Sleepless Jadeja refutes CBI charges

Three days after the CBI report accused him of having supplied "information" to bookies for money, a sleepless Ajay Jadeja today refuted the charges although he admitted his "mistake" of knowing them.

At a press conference in New Delhi, interrupted by angry Shiv Sena activists who forced him to literally run for cover, Jadeja said "At no time in my career have I been involved with match-fixing as defined in the CBI report."

The all-rounder, one of the five Indian cricketers banned by the Board from playing any domestic or international match, said that at no time did he accept money or any other form of consideration for underplaying in a cricket match.

Saying that he had not slept for the last 48 hours, the 29-year-old Jadeja accused the CBI of giving an unfair verdict against him. The CBI report was premised on "false and concocted" evidence, he said.

Jadeja was at a loss to explain why his former captain Mohammed Azharuddin had reportedly told CBI that Jadeja and (Nayan) Mongia were involved in fixing certain matches. Azhar did not appear to have offered any evidence, he said.

While admitting that he knew some of the bookies, Jadeja said "I was at no point of time aware of their involvement with betting and matchfixing, and have never received any money from them, in relation to match-fixing or for any other purpose."

Jadeja said he did not accept money or any other form of consideration for under performing in a cricket match at any level. Jadeja, slapped with a ban by the BCCI from playing domestic or international cricket pending an inquiry, said: "At all times when I have had the privilege of representing my country, state or Board, I have played the game to the very best of my ability and skill."

Jadeja was peeved with Azharuddin's statement to the CBI in which the former captain had alleged that he (Azhar) 'made' matches along with Mongia and Jadeja. Describing Azhar's statement regarding the alleged fixing of the Titan Cup match at Rajkot in 1996 between South Africa and India as false, Jadeja said though Azharuddin named him, bookmaker Mukesh Gupta (MK) mentioned nothing about his involvement.

"Azharuddin claimed that Mongia and I were involved along with him. However, MK Gupta in his statement nowhere corroborates my involvement in this," Jadeja said. About the Pepsi Cup match between Pakistan and India at Jaipur which Azhar claimed was fixed by a bookie Ajay Gupta, Jadeja said: "the absurdity of the allegation against me can be gauged by the fact that I was the top scorer in that match."

Jadeja said he was at a loss to understand why Azhar had dragged his name into the picture. "Moreover, Azharuddin does not appear to have offered any evidence of any kind to back up his statements," he said.

Denying outright that he had close relationship with any of the bookies mentioned in the CBI report, Jadeja said phone calls he received on his cellphone were what he thought to be his fans.

On the CBI report, which mentions that Jadeja received as many as 62 calls during a Test match from one bookie - Uttam Chand - Jadeja said the bookie's statement to the CBI was completely untrue. He said he knew Uttam Chand as Ramesh Gupta and he considered him a fan and denied ever meeting the bookie. Uttam Chand, in his deposition before the CBI had claimed he met Jadeja in hotel Chola Sheraton in Chennai where the bookie took Jadeja's cellphone number and then regularly called him during cricket matches to get information about the pitch, weather, team composition and probable result.

Uttam Chand also claimed to have paid Rs one lakh to Jadeja initially and subsequently paid a sum of around Rs 5 lakh. "I categorically deny that I have ever provided him with any information about any aspects of the cricket matches I have played which could be construed as match-fixing or the unwarranted or unethical passing on of information," Jadeja said. The beleaguered cricketer also denied ever being paid any sums of money by Uttam Chand directly or indirectly.

The CBI report said Rajesh Kalra (named in the Hansie Cronje scandal), personally knew Jadeja, but the cricketer said he knew Kalra from occasional meetings. "The police have the transcripts of various conversations between a number of persons (including Kalra) they had under investigation, which culminated in the unearthing of the Hansie Cronje scandal.

"I would request the CBI or the police to make public the recordings of Rajesh Kalra's conversations with me, as they would undoubtedly reveal the contents of the telephone conversations I am said to have had with Rajesh Kalra during the same period," Jadeja said.

Jadeja accepted knowing one Rattan Mehta in his statement to CBI. On Mehta, who claimed he had taken Jadeja's "judgement" on matches sometimes, the former batsman said: "I do not know what Rattan Mehta means by the term judgement. However, I deny that I have even made or provided any such 'judgements' about any cricket match for Rattan Mehta." He said his relationship with Mehta was on a personal level and had nothing to do with cricket. Jadeja insisted that over 90 percent of Mehta's calls were made to him when he was in Delhi and not playing any matches.