NEW DELHI — A bowler has turned witness for police probing a spot-fixing scandal in Indian cricket and his evidence could be used in a case against his teammates, an officer said Friday. Paceman Siddharth Trivedi has recorded testimony for police who are trying to link bookmakers to three of his teammates arrested as part of the corruption probe into the Indian Premier League (IPL), the unnamed officer said. “His statement is important because he has told us he has information on some of the bookies arrested by us,” a police officer, who is part of the investigating team, said on condition of anonymity. Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and uncapped spinners Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested on May 16 over allegations they deliberately underperformed in specific overs in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars from bookies betting on matches in the just concluded Twenty20 competition. Scores of bookmakers have also been arrested. “Trivedi's statements will be admissible as evidence in the court. It will definitely make our case stronger,” the Special Cell officer said. All three players from the Rajasthan Royals team have denied wrongdoing. Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees ($72,000) to give away around 14 runs in an over while playing against the Kings XI Punjab on May 9. Chandila and Chavan are said to have agreed to similar deals in two other IPL matches. Spot-fixing is an illegal activity in which a specific part of a game, but not the result, is fixed. Local media reports Friday said uncapped Trivedi, who also plays for the Rajasthan Royals, had turned down an invitation by Chandila to attend a party allegedly arranged by bookies. “He had also refused money and gifts offered by the bookies,” the Press Trust of India news agency said. Tendulkar wants ‘sincere' steps in scandal probe Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar is shocked by the spot-fixing scandal swirling around the country's popular Twenty20 league and urged authorities to get to the bottom of the controversy Friday. “It has always hurt me when the game of cricket is in the news for the wrong reasons,” Tendulkar, who quit IPL after his team won the sixth edition of the tournament Sunday, said in a statement to the media. “The developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing. As cricketers, we are always taught to go out, fight hard, give our very best and play in the true spirit of the game. “During this difficult phase, I join every cricketer... who trust the authorities to take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue,” the 40-year-old player added. The scandal has shaken India's belief in their cricketing idols and there has been outrage over the roles of the politicians holding key positions in the cricket board. Apart from scores of bookies from across the country which has confined legal sports betting to horse racing, police have arrested a key official of IPL's Chennai franchise in connection with the scandal. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was posed the question Friday while returning from a foreign trip, with a journalist asking him about possible government intervention in the scandal. “They are under investigations and it won't be proper for me to comment on the stage of investigations,” Singh said. “I would only hope that politics and sports don't get mixed up,” he added. — Agencies
