‘There is hope for others now’

Four days before celebrating his 32nd birthday, Ajay Jadeja got a new lease of life on the cricketing field as the Delhi High Court appointe...

Four days before celebrating his 32nd birthday, Ajay Jadeja got a new lease of life on the cricketing field as the Delhi High Court appointed arbitrator today quashed the five-year ban on him. As Jadeja got an early birthday gift, it also was good news for the other victims of BCCI’s match-fixing probe.

Mohammad Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Sharma while talking to The Indian Express feel that now there is hope for them. While Jadeja, whose mentor Kapil Dev said that ‘‘He would have played the World Cup had this decision come a month earlier’, has strong hopes of playing for the country again. For the likes of Azhar, Prabhakar and Sharma, it is about ‘wiping away the stigma’.

Azharuddin, who is fighting his life ban in a City Civil Court in Hyderabad was delighted over the lifting of ban on his former teammate. He said, ‘‘I have full faith in the judiciary.’’ The former Indian captain’s lawyer, T Jagdish added that the hearing of Azhar’s petition for the appointment of an arbitrator on the lines of Jadeja’s case has already been concluded.

While Prabhakar and Sharma, who haven’t legally challenged the BCCI verdict so far, are of the opinion that now the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should clear their names too. Prabhakar said, ‘‘I respected BCCI’s decisions. That is the reason I never went to court against them. Now, the ball is in their court. They should deal with it. The yardstick for everyone should be the same.’’

When asked how the lifting of ban would help the former all-rounder, who is approaching 40, Prabhakar said, ‘‘I am still very much eager to contribute my share to the game in some way, be it coaching or something else. But first BCCI should be clear in their minds.’’

In fact, Sharma is now clear what his future action will be after closely following Jadeja’s case. ‘‘There is hope for the others now. I am more interested in the stigma being removed, more than playing further. My hands were tied these two years and there was no peace of mind.’’

Not surprisingly those close to Jadeja were also thrilled with the exoneration of the charges. His coach Gurcharan Singh was confident that his former pupil would be back in the national team. ‘‘The boy will now have to work really hard to get back into the national team.’’

Story continues below this ad

But for Jadeja to actually make to the national team it would be a tough task considering the string of talented youngsters in the side. The likes of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag besides the big three make it almost impossible for a batsman to make a big break. But hearing cricket analyst and commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu one thinks it just might be possible. ‘‘He still has a lot to contribute to Indian cricket. During the last couple of years, he went through hell. Only he could have survived all this tension because he has nerve of steel.’’

Before making it to the big league Jadeja will have to first make a mark on the domestic circuit. Jadeja’s last game happened to be the Ranji game for J&K where he scored a match-winning century against his former state team Haryana. But if sources in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) are to be believed, chances are Jadeja might lead the Delhi side. Though Delhi coach Bishan Singh Bedi did not comment on this issue, he said that the lifting of ban was wonderful news and ‘‘Jadeja has lot to offer to Indian cricket.’’

The BCCI for now seemed guarded in their reaction, president Jagmohan Dalmiya said, ‘‘I don’t know the details. I need to talk to the lawyers and get a feedback before I say anything on this issue.’’ But national selector Kirti Azad gave the right kind of vibes. ‘‘One must honour the court verdict. The order clearly shows that he was not involved in match-fixing,’’ he said.

(Inputs from Jagannath Das)

The bouncers: CBI Charges

• He had “close relations” with a number of bookies/punters, including Rajesh Kalra, Rattan Mehta, Uttam Chand, Krishan Kumar and Ajay Gupta.

Story continues below this ad

• He had given “judgement” and “information” regarding cricket matches to Uttam Chand and Rattan Mehta.

• He met Mukesh Gupta in 1996 and offered to “do” matches for him. Gupta and Chand both stated that they paid money to him.

• A print-out of his cell phone for the period from 15.9.99 to 30.4.2000 showed that he had made and received telephone calls in varying numbers from and to Kalra, Mehta and Kumar.

• Azharuddin stated that in the Titan Cup Series in 1996, he had “made” matches for Gupta and that Jadeja was involved with him.

Story continues below this ad

• Recordings proved long conversations between him and Chand around midnight, and often only a day prior to a match or on the day of the match. Telephone calls in the print-out of Chand’s cell phone show that on occasions, after talking to Jadeja, he spoke to other bookies like such as Shobhan Mehta and Hans Kumar Jain.

• Dr Ali Irani stated that he was sure about the involvement of Jadeja with Azhar, and that in 1996, during a one-day match, Jadeja had told him not to talk about “such things” to him as he was no longer “on to” it.

• Pawan Puri, a Delhi punter, stated that he had travelled with Ajay Jadeja on a flight once where they discussed cricket matches and Jadeja had told him that he had “done” matches for Rattan Mehta. These matches, purportedly, were during the India, India-A and India -B Challenger Trophy in February, 2000. Jadeja was the captain of India-B Team which lost both matches.

Long run-up

• April 20, 2000: Justice Chandrachud submits report acquitting all suspected cricketers of match-fixing

Story continues below this ad

• June 13, 2000: Manoj Prabhakar releases videotapes where former Mumbai Crime Branch chief Rakesh Maria names Jadeja in connection with fixing

• July 18, 2000: Jadeja grilled over two hours by CBI

• October 31, 2000: CBI submits match-fixing report – indicts Jadeja along with Azharuddin, Ajay Sharma and Manoj Prabhakar

• November 4, 2000: Jadeja calls allegations against him “false and concocted”

• November 4, 2000: Shiv Sena activists disrupt Jadeja press meet and pelt him with rotten eggs

• November 5, 2000: Jadeja banned from all forms of competitive cricket after CBI report

Story continues below this ad

• November 17, 2000: Jadeja says, “Five-year ban spelt civil death for me” while charging the BCCI with depriving him of his livelihood

• December 6, 2000: Jadeja accepts his career is over, but threatens legal action against the BCCI

• February 8, 2001: Jadeja approaches Delhi HC challenging the ban, Sports Ministry notice for return of Arjuna award and quashing of the CBI report against him.

• March 30, 2001: Jadeja marries long-time girlfriend Aditi Jaitly, daughter of politician Jaya Jaitly

• April 26, 2001: Jadeja makes an entry into films

• February 27, 2002: BCCI rules out review of bans

Story continues below this ad

• November 1, 2002: Jadeja and BCCI agree for arbitration. High court appoints retired judge, Justice JK Mehra, as the sole arbitrator.

• January 27, 2003: Justice Mehra sets aside BCCI-imposed ban on Jadeja.