Gavaskar, Dungarpur in verbal duel

Trent Bridge, June 13: A comment on television by Sunil Gavaskar about India's defeat against Zimbabwe last month has erupted into a cont...

Trent Bridge, June 13: A comment on television by Sunil Gavaskar about India8217;s defeat against Zimbabwe last month has erupted into a controversy between the former India captain and current board president Raj Singh Dungarpur.

With India on their way out of the World Cup, Gavaskar triggered off a furore by demanding an inquiry be held into who asked the Indian batsmen at the crease to finish off the game in the penultimate over 45th itself while chasing a 250-plus target against Zimbabwe at Leicester last month.Fellow commentator and former England captain Tony Greig queered the pitch by asking who the guilty person was, the coach or the captain.

Gavaskar said it could even be somebody else.

Dungarpur expressed his surprise to hear that and said, 8220;you can8217;t constitute an inquiry for everything.8221;

8220;There are instances when people have scored 36 runs off 60 overs and no inquiry was held,8221; he said, in a reference to Gavaskar8217;s knock in the 1975 World Cup.

Responding to that, Gavaskar said, 8220;Ijust want to set the record straight that an inquiry was conducted and I did appear before the committee.8221;

Referring to his comment on TV, he said, 8220;my remarks were not against anyone in particular. But anybody be he the coach, captain, manager, consultant, senior player or anyone else, should be taken to task because an instruction was given whose consequences have been grave.8221;

Bedi raises betting spectre MUMBAI: Former skipper Bishan Singh Bedi raised the spectre of betting and match fixing in Indian cricket once again, reacting to his successor Sunil Gavaskar8217;s controversial remarks regarding India8217;s loss to Zimbabwe in the preliminary phase of the World Cup.

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Commenting on the programme Turning Point in Star News yesterday, Bedi said Gavaskar8217;s insinuation pointed to betting and match-fixing.

Gavaskar triggered off a furore by demanding an inquiry be held into who asked the Indian batsmen at the crease to finish off the game in the penultimate over 45th itself while chasing a 250-plus targetagainst Zimbabwe.

Skipper Azharuddin, after India8217;s match at Trent Bridge yesterday, reacted to Gavaskar8217;s demand with a retort: 8220;Why don8217;t you ask him?8221;

Gaekwad also reacted in the same vein, saying 8220;as far as we are concerned, no instruction was passed on by us. Better still, why don8217;t you ask the batsmen?8221;