Is Bindra telling the truth now or did he lie earlier?

Bindra also alleged that when he was BCCI vice-president four Indian players placed bets on the outcome of a match and on being reprimanded had argued that it involved other countries. He apparently told them it was immoral for a cricketer to do that.

Now let us examine Bindra’s statements in detail. First the match against New Zealand in question. India have so far played 57 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against New Zealand between April 10, 1986 and April 20, 1998. Of these 57, five have been played in Sharjah, four of which have been won by India. Which means the match which Bindra may be referring to could be the Coca-Cola Cup on April 20, 1998.

The scoreboard of the match (reproduced below) shows three (not four) key players run out: Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja. This is what KSR Menon of the Press Trust of India wrote, which was carried in The Indian Express the following day: “The Indian batting got off to a fluent start provided by Sachin Tendulkar (38: 57b, 2×4) and Saurav Ganguly (31: 36b, 4×4), but Ganguly’s departure followed by suicidal run-outs of Azharuddin (11), Tendulkar and Ajay Jadeja (11) sent the innings plummeting.” The Indians made only 181.

Bindra, arguably, may have made a point about the run outs as well as the team’s close-to-prophesy total.

The result of the match left both India and New Zealand with two points each (one win and two losses). India were left with the task of beating the in-from Aussies (four points from two wins) in the last league tie on April 22 to ensure a final spot.

A second opinion is always welcome. The report in The Hindu said that three Indian batsmen “ran themselves out” and went on to add that “in a desperate move, coach Anshuman Gaekwad pushed Nayan Mongia ahead of Hrishikesh Kanitkar”. It still proves nothing.

On the face of it, it would seem, Bindra has a point. But there are three things about his veiled statement:

1. His allegations also points a finger at player whose sense of commitment and patriotism very few will doubt.

2. Bindra needs to go back to an interview he gave to Rediff in which he gave a certificate of integrity to the Indian players, with specific reference to match-fixing. If he suspected any, it was the BCCI officials.

3. The same interview also questions the `witch-hunting’ Pakistan cricket administration. Yet, he makes his allegations in the Zee interview based on the then Pakistan Cricket Board secretary.

Following is the relevant part of Bindra’s answer in the Rediff interview to a pointed question on the vexed issue of match-fixing:

“I am glad that we acted more sensibly, that we didn’t have the kind of witchhunt they had in Pakistan when one day players are termed guilty, the next day they are found innocent and all this at the expense of the team and its morale.

“I firmly believe, based on my interactions with them, that the Indian players are the most disciplined, best-behaved lot in the world and I have the highest respect for them.

“If Indian cricket is what it is today, 90 per cent of the credit goes to the cricketers and only 10 per cent to the administrators. People like Azhar, Sachin, I have interacted with them, dealt with them, they are wonderful human beings. Azhar has been our longest serving captain, he is absolutely modest, humble and well behaved. So, too, is Sachin. For all his talent, he is very respectful, behaves well. You find stardom going into the heads of some cricketers in other countries, but our boys are always very good in this respect.

“I am not saying that betting does not go on. In fact, I will go so far as to say some of our administrators indulge in betting, in illegal betting. I can say that the players are not involved in match-fixing — I wish I can say the same for Indian cricket administrators.”

The interview appeared on the Rediff site on September 21, 1999 — more than a year after he felt he had reasons to doubt that the India-New Zealand game was fixed. Which means either Bindra did not tell the truth about the players in the Rediff interivew or he is lying now when talking to Zee. Also, he has stated that when he was BCCI vice-president, he had reprimanded four players for betting on the result of a match. If so, how did he give a clean chit to the Indian players in the Rediff interview? Surely, the credibility factor suffers and suffers badly.

If Bindra had raised his concern about match-fixing at the appropriate time, he would have emerged a hero. But the time he has chosen, with a cocktail of contradictions, seems only a tool to embarass his one-time friend Jagmohan Dalmiya. This is not the time to settle personal scores. Simply put, it’s just not cricket.