BCCI gives clean chit to Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja regarding bribery allegations

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur

The mystery about Lalit Modi’s letter to the ICC containing betting allegations has thickened. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur apparently does not set much store by Lalit Modi’s allegations, claiming that Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja’s innocence is proved by the fact that the ICC has not taken any action even after being in the know for 2 years.

“The ICC confirms that Mr. Modi's confidential e-mail, which was received in June 2013, and which has recently been published on Twitter, was provided to the ACSU at that time," the ICC had confirmed. "The ACSU handled that information in accordance with its standard operating procedures, which included sharing it with the BCCI's anti-corruption unit.”

Thakur and chief selector Sandeep Patil spoke to the media after announcing the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe tour. On being asked why no action has been taken even after the ICC drew BCCI’s attention to Lalit Modi’s letter, Thakur said, “These three are international players, and the ICC has to conduct an enquiry. So far the ICC has not come out with a report. There is no info from the ICC as of now. In a way, this is a clean chit.”

Enquiry still not over: Thakur

Lalit Modi addressed an e-mail to ICC CEO Dave Richardson in 2013, alleging that two Indian cricketers and a West Indian player were paid in cash and kind by an Indian real estate magnate; and then tweeted about it. Modi suggested that others might too be involved. “I hope this is not true but if true, it could mean more are involved”, he hinted. He said he was just passing on “some information that I have just got”, which he got from “reliable sources”. Dwayne Bravo was the third Chennai Super Kings player who Modi’s letter accused.

According to Thakur, if there was any reason to take action, the ICC would have done so, as all players fall under the purview of ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit. If the ICC hasn’t taken any action, the BCCI can hardly do anything. “When somebody plays international cricket, the ICC is responsible. Only the ICC can answer as per their investigations. It falls under ICC's purview. They have said that they are enquiring, so only they can answer on this. If there was anything, they could have reported back to us.”

Thakur was also asked the name of the player who was allegedly involved in spot-fixing before the 2015 edition. “We don't disclose the name of the players. If a player has been approached, we report it to the anti-corruption unit," he said. “We have to look at the detailed report. Once the final report comes in, then we will take action. As of now, the enquiry is still not over”, Thakur said.