I have faith in BCCI, judiciary: Sreesanth

S. Sreesanth (File Photo)

New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) Tainted cricketer S. Sreesanth said here on Friday that he has “never cheated the game” and has “full faith in the Indian cricket board and judiciary” after appearing before the disciplinary committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

“I have presented my side of the story. I have never cheated the game. I have full faith in the judiciary and the BCCI. Hopefully, I will play for the country again. Since childhood, I have always dreamt of playing for India so I will never cheat the game,” Sreesanth told reporters after presenting his case to the panel comprising BCCI president N. Srinivasan and vice-presidents Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah.

Asked about a possible ban, the 30-year-old said: “I did not argue my case and they were very cooperative. God willing there will be no ban. A lot has been said about me, but I am hopeful that the BCCI will give me a chance to play again,” he added.

The disciplinary panel is to decide the fate of the Rajasthan Royals players — Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan besides Sreesanth — caught in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal. The three might even get life bans as recommended by Ravi Sawani, chief of BCCI’s anti-corruption unit in his report submitted to the board last month.

Sawani, a former chief of the International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption unit, was asked to investigate the alleged involvement of the three in conceding a pre-determined number of runs per over in exchange for money during the IPL.

Other Rajasthan Royals cricketers Harmeet Singh and Siddharth Trivedi, who were found guilty by Sawani for not reporting the matter to the BCCI.