The fervent demands by Indian politicians seeking government intervention in the functioning of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Indian Premier League yesterday drew angry reactions from former cricketers, who were unanimous in their opinion asking the ministers to stay awayu00a0from the running of their sport. <table style="width: 152px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="152" align="right" border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/apr/Lalith.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr> <td> FEELING THE HEAT: Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi at the Dharamsala airport on Friday. PIC/SUBHASH BAROLIA</td></tr></tbody></table>Anshuman Gaekwad, who took over as India's coach after the infamous match-fixing controversy in 2000, said: "These controversies and statements by the politicians will not affect cricket in India at all." "These things have happened when I was the coach of the Indian national team as well. There was all sort of stuff flying around. The whole episode came out and the CBI and other bodies got involved. Everyone felt that cricket is all fixed. It took some time, but the fans and followers started coming back in," Gaekwad said. The IPL issue dominated parliamentary proceedings yesterday, with some members even asking that the tournament be scrapped or that the government take over. Gaekwad also stood by the man in the eye of the storm ufffd Lalit Modi. "Everyone wants their share of the IPL. Everywhere there are people who are biased. Modi has done a great job. "The best part is that the players are enjoying themselves, the cricket is good and there is a massive fan following. What else do we want," questioned Gaekwad. Former India pacer, Balwinder Singh Sandhu said: "The people who are talking have bigger scams up their cupboards. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others." However, former Test opener, Chetan Chauhan, was of a different view. He said that 'absolute' power should not be given to anyone. Chauhan, who himself has twice been a Member of Parliament, pointed to the fact that most of the sports bodies are in fact headed by politicians. He called for BCCI to have better defined rules for its operations. "This controversy has definitely affected the BCCI and cricket in India. The popularity of the game has definitely suffered. The image of the BCCI in particular has definitely taken a beating. I appeal to the top officials of the board to rein inu00a0 some corrective measures so that there is transparency. Also, they must see to it that some basic ground rules are laid down, be it for tournaments like the IPL, international events, contracts, etc," he added.

Anshuman Gaekwad, who took over as India's coach after the infamous match-fixing controversy in 2000, said: "These controversies and statements by the politicians will not affect cricket in India at all."

Show will go on despite controversy: Ex-cricketers

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Home / Sports / Cricket / Article / Show will go on despite controversy: Ex-cricketers

Show will go on despite controversy: Ex-cricketers

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Ganeshotsav 2026