Administrators are there because of fans and cricketers: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Former India captain Rahul Dravid hit out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Saturday, saying administrators are there for the fans and the cricketers to run the game.

Dravid, who will be a prosecution witness in the Indian Premier League-6 (IPL-6) spot-fixing case, said that credibility of game and the board is important.

“Administrators are there because of the fans and the cricketers to run this game, so credibility of a game or a board is important irrespective of what you do. If you are in public life it is important,” Dravid, who led Rajasthan Royals in the last edition of the IPL, told Cricinfo.com.

“There are so many fans and so many people who care deeply about this game and it is because of these fans that we are who we are as cricketers,” Dravid added.

Three of Dravid’s team mates Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested by Delhi Police after a mid-night raid from Mumbai, May 16.

In the aftermath of the three arrests, Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan, who is also son-in-law of BCCI president N.Srinivasan, and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra were suspended by the BCCI for their alleged involvement in betting.

Meiyappan is out on bail after being arrested by Mumbai police while Kundra was questioned by Delhi Police.

But a BCCI probe panel recently gave a clean chit to both Meiyappan and Kundra in the betting scandal.

A hurt Dravid said: “Things like this don’t help, when we are on the front pages of the newspapers and not on the back. A certain amount of reverence, respect and love for cricketers can diminish.”

Dravid said the spot-fixing and the betting scandal is the worst thing that could happen to Indian cricket.

“I think it’s a really, really sad thing for cricket in this country if that had to happen,” he said.