MUMBAI, Jul 2 (PTI) Ankeet Chavan, who is serving a life ban for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, has urged the BCCI and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to reduce the sanction to seven years in a letter written to them.
In 2013, the BCCI disciplinary committee had found three Rajasthan Royals players — former India pacer S Sreesanth, Chavan and Ajit Chandila — guilty of spot- fixing in the IPL and handed them life bans.
But in 2015, a trial court in Delhi dropped all the charges against the trio and last year the BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain reduced Sreesanth’s ban to seven years from life ban.
Now, with chances looking bright for Sreesanth to make a comeback to competitive cricket, 34-year-old Chavan has also sent an email to BCCI and his state body MCA.
In the letter, Chavan has requested to reduce the ban to seven years so that he can play at the earliest.
“I am urging to BCCI on similar lines, if Sreesanth’s ban is reconsidered, kindly reconsider mine (my ban) as well,” Chavan told PTI on Thursday.
“I did not get a response from the BCCI, so I had to write to my parent body, which is the MCA. So I have written on the same lines. I request the association to take my case ahead to the BCCI, so that my ban can be reconsidered,” added Chavan, a slow-left arm orthodox bowler.
It is learnt that Chavan wrote to MCA on June 22 and a senior MCA official also confirmed that the cricket body has received his letter.
An MCA source said that it was a matter between BCCI and Chavan and it cannot interfere in the issue.
Chavan, who has featured in 18 first-class games, has not played any cricket since life ban was imposed on him.SPO-MINISTRY-COACH-LD CONTRACT
Ministry extends contract of existing coaches to Sept 2021, new coaches to have 4-yr tenures (Eds: Recasting with fresh details )
NEW DELHI, July 2: The Sports Ministry on Thursday extended the contracts of all foreign coaches employed with it till September 30 next year and said that future hiring — both Indian and foreign — will be done on a four-year cycle in sync with the Olympic Games to ensure continuity.
The four-year contracts to be given to new coaches will, however, be on the basis of recommendation from the respective National Sports Federations.
The extension for current bunch of hired coaches has been done keeping in mind the postponement of the Olympics to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The contracts will be reviewed annually and extended on the basis of their overall performance, indicated by the achievement of the athletes under them in major international events.
“Coaches are the backbone of the sporting ecosystem of any country and ensuring the right coaching for our elite athletes is a vital step towards improving India’s chances in all major international tournaments, including the Olympics,” Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a statement.
“This decision is part of India’s long-term roadmap for Olympic preparation for 2024 and 2028. I am confident our athletes will benefit from this,” he added.
Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra welcomed the decision and said it will help athletes in a big way, especially during a time when they have had to go on a forced break of due to the coronavirus-forced lockdown.
“At a recent meeting with the Sports Minister, representatives of various NSFs had raised this issue and requested for longer contract periods for foreign coaches. The existing coaches know the athletes and will build them up,” Batra said.
“Frequent change of coaches means that an athlete has to adjust to the temperament of the new coach and vice-versa. This often hampers the level of performance.”
Batra said the decision will have a positive impact on the performance of Indian athletes in the 2022 Asian Games and the World Championships in 2023, leading up to the 2024 Olympics.
“The continuity of coaches will surely improve the performance of athletes and ensure more medals for India,” the IOA chief said. (PTI)
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