Spot-fixing: Underbelly of cricket can erode fans' fanatic trust in the game

Indian protestors beat a burning effigy of Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) President N. Srinivasan during a demonstration in Kolkata on May 26, 2013. The son-in-law of India’s cricket board chief N. Srinivasan, has been suspended from ‘any involvement’ in the sport pending an inquiry into his role in a spot-fixing scandal, officials said.

Cricket as a religion in India is the most obvious statement anyone can make. The sport and the players are revered through the length and breadth of this country. It is perhaps the only thing that unites the entire country and brings things to a virtual halt apart from politics. But that is a story for another day.

Anyone and everyone, young or old, male or female has an outlook on the game. Housewives give opinions on Sachin’s batting style, young toddlers comment on every decision taken by Dhoni. It is not just a sport, it is the heartbeat of every Indian.

Each and every kid desires to be the next Rahul Dravid or Mahendra Singh Dhoni. There is nothing that can dampen the spirit that cricket holds in heart of every Indian.

On 16th May, 2013, true to the Albert Einstein quote of “three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed”, the IPL (Indian Premier League) met its biggest controversy. Three Rajasthan Royals cricketers, namely, Ajit Chandila, Ankit Chavan and S. Sreesanth, were arrested on charges of spot fixing.

This was initially greeted with shock, which soon turned to revulsion and then resentment by fans and players alike. The charges levied on them were based on evidence gathered by the Delhi police. The entire cricket fraternity was in a state of shock.  What was even more shocking for the cricketers and fans alike was the ease with which it was carried out.

The tainted trio were told to give ‘signals’ before they bowled. Each one of them had a unique way of giving a signal. Ankeet Chavan swirled his chain in and around the air, S.Sreesanth put a towel on his side pocket before the act. Ajit Chandila forgot to give his signal and lost out on a portion of his money. The players were arrested and taken into police custody. There had always been a cloud of match fixing over the sport but it had never really shown its wicked face in such an obvious way.

But the shame for the sport did not end there. The BCCI was now left to face the embarrassment of having yet again been unable to avert the tentacles of the underworld reach the cricket field.

Former cricketers voiced their opinions on the IPL being a pot belly for black money. That ensured the ire of cricket fans, who burned posters and shouted slogans, calling for a stop to all of this.

No one was spared. Bureaucrats, celebrities, ex-cricketers were all under the microscope. Even Indian captain MS Dhoni and new sensation Virat Kohli were believed to have been involved in this. It had started to become ugly.