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Kapil Dev blasts ICC

Former India captain Kapil Dev on Tuesday lashed out at the International Cricket Council, saying it has no locus standi to direct the BCCI to drop off spinner Rajesh Chauhan on charges of chucking.

"Who the hell is the ICC?" demanded Kapil who is, ironically, part of the ICC's own committee on throwing. "That body can only request, they have no authority to direct the board to do anything. "By not defending Rajesh Chauhan, the BCCI has shown great weakness."

Lambasting the ICC, Kapil Dev said it did not consult either himself, or Sunil Gavaskar, before issuing the directive to the BCCI. "Sunil and I had checked Chauhan's action but did not pass judgement because there was not enough evidence to hold him guilty."

"I don't know what the ICC is trying to prove," said a visibly angry Kapil Dev, world record holder for the highest number of Test wickets. "By their action, they have questioned the judgement of two players, myself and Sunny (Gavaskar) who have each played over 100 Tests. The ICC action casts doubts on our integrity and capability!"

Talking to mediapersons at his office the former all-rounder, who turned 38 on Tuesday, said that "while the Sri Lankan board was quick to defend its bowler Dharmasena, our own board has shown great weakness. The BCCI has to take a fresh look at the whole episode, as it involves the career and future of a player."

Asked for his comments on the sacking of Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev was initially tongue in cheek, when he said, "If Prime Ministers can be changed once every two months, why not cricket captains?"

In a more serious vein, Kapil then said that the removal of Sachin as captain is "good neither for Sachin himself, nor for the team."

"In the first place," argued the all-rounder, "it was wrong to have removed Azharuddin from the captaincy when he was still capable of serving the country for another three, four years. Now, another wrong has been done by axing Sachin just when he was beginning to mature."

Kapil Dev also expressed strong disapproval at the droppoing of players like Rahul Dravid and Venkatesh Prasad. "Both are very good players, of international calibre, and this kind of action will have a bad effect on their confidence," said Dev.

Kapil, who is convenor of the high powered expert committee set up by the BCCI on pitches, washed his hands off the whole Indore fiasco when the India-Sri Lanka game was abandoned without a ball being bowled. "We, the committee, were not given charge by the BCCI of any ground, and about the Indore pitch we knew nothing," he said.

Asked specifically about the pitches committee the BCCI had set up to improve the condition of Indian tracks, Kapil said, "They set up the committee seven months back and that's it. Since then, I have not heard from them, I don't know what the board did with that committee.

"Three months ago, I sent a report to the board in which I made some suggestions on how to improve the pitches and ground conditions, I recommended that the board take over two grounds in each zone and I also gave specifications on what is required to be done during pitch preparation. So far, there has been no reply from the board, I presume my report has been dumped in cold storage."

And what about the pitches committee to probe the Indore pitch? "I am prepared, despite my earlier experience, to help. But frankly, I don't know how to go about it, only 18 balls were bowled and that is too little evidence to decide anything. Such a probe should be done by those who were connected with the pitch preparation, and those who played on it. There were many former Test cricketers present there that day, they too can help."

Asked about Dilip Vengsarkar's comment to the effect that Kapil should have been aware of what the pitch is like, Kapil said, "How? I was not there, I did not see the pitch that day, how am I supposed to know?"

Asked to confirm that the BCCI has asked him to take over the grounds to be used for the coming Australian tour, Kapil said, "Yes, they said something about it and I told them I am prepared to take the job, provided I hear something about my earlier report. The recommendations I made there are the same that I will want to carry out in the grounds concerned, how can I do that without the board having said anything about my recommendations?"

Ideally, what did he think needed to be done in regard to pitches and stadia? "I think first, we should take over ten grounds, carry out a thorough examination of each. If we find that conditions can be improved and brought up to international standards, then it should be done. If we think that is not possible, then the ground should not be used for international matches."

Does he think the initiative will work? "Well, it is certainly the direction to go, and if the board is prepared to back our committee, then something positive will emerge."