Ajay Sharma fails to appear before Madhavan

Onkar Singh

Former Delhi Ranji trophy team captain Ajay Sharma, who has been named by the Central Bureau of Investigation in its match-fixing report, failed to appear before BCCI vigilance commissioner K Madhavan on Tuesday.

Madhavan informed that Sharma said he could not make an appearance as he does not have a copy of the CBI report on match-fixing.

"Why should I hold a press conference when the man who was supposed to appear before me is not coming at all. Ajay Sharma has sent me a letter saying that since he does not have a copy of the CBI report, therefore he does not see any point in meeting me," Madhavan said.

He added: "I am surprised at the latest developments, because when he wrote to me last time he said that since he had back pain therefore he would not be able to travel to Chennai and hence he should be examined in Delhi.

"At that point of time he didn't make any mention that he did not have the CBI report," Madhavan told rediff.com on Tuesday afternoon.

Do you plan to give Ajay Sharma another chance so that he can explain his position?

"Yes, I think he has a legitimate excuse and I will give him another chance to defend himself. But I would not be able to say when I will call him next," he said.

Asked if he will call Kapil Dev and others, who have not been named by the CBI in its match-fixing report, Madhavan said he has not decided on anything in the matter as yet.

"I would think about it and then decide," he said.

Ajay Sharma and Mohammad Azaharuddin are the only ones who have not met Madhavan, who is reassessing the CBI report on behalf of the BCCI.

Manoj Prabhakar, Nayan Mongia, Ajay Jadeja, Dr Ali Irani and groundsman Ram Adhar, who all have also been named in the CBI report, have already appeared before the former CBI joint commissioner to explain their position.

Meanwhile, the CBI parties which conducted raids at the residences and offices of some officials of Doordarshan and private television companies are now taking stock of what the raids have yielded in terms of evidence and seizures.

"The moment we complete the process, we would tell the media about it," said an official of the agency.

Mail Cricket Editor