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The Chandrachud Report

M. Dr.D V Subba Rao

I was the manager of the Indian team, which toured West Indies from Feb-May 1997.

Cricket is a game of uncertainty. Situation of sudden collapse of a team arises quite often. In a one-day match in West Indies, we had a target of 267 runs to achieve. We were 230 for three wickets down. We lost 7 wickets for thirty runs and lost the match by 16 runs. In the Barbados test, we wanted 121 runs to win but we were all out for 80 runs. All the players uniformly complained that the wicket was too bad to play.

Players do have many visitors but never in the dressing rooms and generally not in the players enclosure. Occasionally a very personal friend of a player sits in the player's enclosure. I have not seen such persons speaking on mobile or looking very informed.

My experience bellies the allegation of match fixing in Indian cricket. You have to take at least two key batsmen and two key bowlers in confidence to bet to loose a match. Players are on friendly terms with each other. But I have never seen any intimacy between them, which could enable them to conspire to obtain a particular result. They share accommodation but the players rotate and the same players will not share one room all through the tour.

The talk of match fixing and betting started when we began to loose matches. When we were on a winning streak, there was no such talk. The emergence of a brilliant young player like Jayasurya caused our defeat in many games and with it the talk of match fixing started. It is difficult to contain a batsman like Jayasurya. In fact, in respect of our own great opener K Srikkanth, Allan Border had said, "Bowl anywhere you like. He will hit you anywhere he likes." Unfortunately at this moment, the Indian team is not adequately equipped to perform well. We have no Lala Amarnath, Vinoo Mankad, Chandu Borde, Bapu Nathkarni, Saleem Durani or Eknath Solkar. Our players are very young and seem to be playing with the fear that if the fail they will be out. I find that the team lacks a sense of commitment, which is necessary for winning matches. From the Prudential cup 1983 to 1987-'88, we were in the winning streak under Kapil Dev. No one talked of match fixing then. I do not believe that there is any match fixing in Indian cricket or any Indian player bets to loose a match.

N. Dr.Ali Irani

I have been working as a physiotherapist with the Indian team since 1987, when the Reliance World Cup was played. The only occasions when I did not go with the team as a physiotherapist were to West Indies and Pakistan in 1989 and to New Zealand at about the same time. It is impossible that any of the Indian matches can be fixed or any of our players can be got at. There is just no possibility of one player in the Indian team influencing another player or other players. When the Indian team won the series against England, West Indies and Sri Lanka between 1993-'94 people started saying that West Indies took money and lost matches. People are generally prone to forming opinions after hearing the TV commentary. That is why they talk the same way. If the TV were made mute, very few people will be able to say or write any thing original. Cricket is not a sport but a religion.

Sachin Tendulkar cannot accept defeat. He takes his cricket as one takes to religion and he is the right person to lead the team.

Psychologically, people are compulsive gamblers. There are some who consult an astrologer on such piffling things as the number of nails on shoes, the colour of the pants or the size of a neck-chain.

It is worth while inquiring as to how much amount can possibly be paid to a player for purchasing him to play badly. Today, the players get Rs.90,000/- for playing one-day matches and Rs.1.25 lakhs for playing a test. You have to pay bribes according to the worth and the status of the bribe-taker. The players make 38 to 40 lakhs or rupees per year. How much can you the pay them? Rahul Dravid has a contract of Rs.50 lakhs with Pepsi but such contracts can be entered in to and maintained as long as you are in the team.

The outburst of Manoj Prabhakar is unfounded. He is by and large a friendless person.

N. Manoj Prabhakar

My story is true. I did not speak out for three years because i wanted to play cricket. It is not correct that i have made up my story because i was put out of the team. I was thrown out of the team because i was not treated well.

In England and Australia betting is legalised. Even players can bet but they cannot bet to lose. They blame cricketers for deliberately playing badly.

I cannot disclose the name of teammates or of any other person involved in offering the bribe to me for losing the game because if I do so, my life will be in danger. I was given a threat to that effect by persons who offered me a bribe. I am also afraid that I will be sued or persecuted for defamation if I disclose the names. I have no evidence to prove my statements.There will be my word against their word.The prosecution or the suit will ruin me totally.These are the reasons why, initially, I did not speak out for three years and now I cannot disclose their names of the culprits.

Justice Chandrachud's interpolation: (O) While I was in Delhi on 19th August 1997 for my personal work I interviewed Shri Sunil Dev who was a secretary of Delhi District Cricket Association for 2 years and has been elected for the third term consecutively. He was a vice president of BCCI for 4 years and from 18 Dec 1996 to 21st Feb 1997, he was the manger of the Indian team on South African tour).

(P). Mr Sunil Dev:

Betting on cricket takes place heavily in India. It is in place for about 10 years. It has assumed large proportion since the introduction of one- day games. There is heavier betting on one day matches because they are result oriented. I cannot identify any particular player who bets on cricket but I am fairly certain that members of the team do lay a bet and one can only bet to lose. Its easy to get run out or hit a lofted shot. Coaches can detect a deliberate under performance and so can students of the game. We may have lost some matches because some of our players laid bets to lose.

Matches can be and are fixed but they can be fixed only for loosing not for winning. No one can fix a match for winning it.

From Sept 1996 to Sept 1997, each of the 14 players of the team including the coach must have earned over Rs 50 lakhs which consists only of what the board pays them. When the team goes abroad they get a daily allowance of 50 USD per day. They do not spend that money. They have a large number of fans, some of whom are highly placed and invite them for dinners but, I can say that the Indian team is a very disciplined, well- behaved lot of players , most of whom live within their means.

The Board cannot do anything about disproportionate assets of the players. But I have a feeling that one or two players have acquired disproportionate assets. Out of the logo money, the board keeps 40 per cent and distributes 60 per cent equally among the players. Manoj Prabhakar wanted more money to be paid to the senior members of the team. He was dropped not only from the Indian team but he was not even included in his home Delhi team. The story which he gave to Outlook is not true .It only shows his deep sense of frustration.

(R) Mr Makrand Waingankar:

I am the sports correspondent of Sanj Loksatta. In 1993, I covered the test match between India and England. Anyone could enter the dressing room and I saw some shady characters hovering around the dressing room. One of such persons is alleged to have been arrested under TADA. It's wrong to allow access to any person to the dressing room.

The statements made by Manoj Prabhakar in Outlook magazine are false. I have been a close follower of cricket since 1965 but I cannot think of any match which was fixed.

I am of the opinion that the fees paid to the players should be linked with the performance as in Sri Lanka. If that is done there would be no possibility of a match being fixed.

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