“Things like this don't help, when we are on the front pages of the newspapers and not on the back,“ Rahul Dravid said, even as the BCCI went to the SC over its 'fixing probe panel. According to a report in Deccan Chronice, 0ne of Indian cricket’s most respected voices on Monday summed up the mood of despair and disappointment in the wake of the spot fixing and conflict of interest scandals that erupted following IPL6, and sought the restoration of the game’s image in the eyes of the Indian fan.
Underlining a spreading sense of disappointment at the way those running the Board of Control for Cricket in India were handling the fallout of the scandals, former India captain Rahul Dravid said the credibility of the sport was important as it was in all matters concerning public life.
“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,” he said.
According to a report in Indian Express, Rahul Dravid expressed anguish over the recent IPL spot-fixing scandal and its fallout, saying that restoring the credibility of the game was of utmost importance failing which cricketers may lose respect of their fans.
BCCI has been faced with a serious credibility crisis ever since the spot-fixing and betting scandal broke out in the sixth edition of the IPL. The whole issue led to N Srinivasan stepping aside as BCCI President and even the Bombay High Court declared that the two-member panel, constituted to probe the scandal, was "illegal and unconstitutional".
"Things like this don't help, when we are on the front pages of the newspapers and not on the back," Dravid told ESPN Cricinfo, adding, "Administrators are there because of the fans and the cricketers to run this game, so credibility of a game, or a board, or even a government for that matter, is important irrespective of what you do. If you are in public life it is important," he said.
BCCI President N Srinivasan got mired in the controversy when his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan faced betting charges along with Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra. Three players from Rajasthan Royals, led by Dravid, were arrested on charges of spot-fixing and the former skipper said such episodes were not good for the image of the players.
According to a report in The Hindu, Dravid said, "A certain amount of reverence, respect and love for cricketers can diminish, and I think it's a really, really sad thing for cricket in this country if that had to happen."