Harmeet Singh - the one who came clean out of the fixing ring!

Harmeet Singh: A fresh start for the Indian youngster.

Harmeet Singh must be thanking his stars for his survival. He should be extremely happy that he has had a narrow escape and has not been termed as a tainted cricketer. However, there is an old saying that sometimes, initial shocks prove fruitful in shaping one’s life at a later stage. Getting a clean chit from the BCCI does not mean that the future of Harmeet Singh has become secure, but there is a possibility of his revival.

Harmeet Singh is a young and a talented player who reveled in the Under-19 Indian cricket team. The slow left arm bowler, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, unfortunately had his name dragged into the spot fixing controversy.

He should not be penalized for one mistake committed by him, that too out of ignorance. Not indulging in reporting the matter to the concerned authorities is not a cardinal sin especially, as he was not involved in the wrongdoings but just kept mum. What he did was a naive step taken by a 21-year-old.

From day one, he had denied his involvement in fixing, which ultimately has been proven true. However, the million dollar question which remains unanswered is that despite having an established mechanism of prevention of fixing, why do the players shy away from reporting the matter? Does it not mean that the anti-corruption setup of the BCCI and the ICC has failed to perform its duties?

There is a burning example of the system working effectively in the United Kingdom – the case of Danish Kaneria, wherein a fixing attempt was unearthed through timely reporting of the matter by a few cricketers. The concerned anti-corruption units promptly initiated action and found that Kaneria was involved along with Mervyn Westfield. Both were fined and a ban was imposed. The best part is that till date, the name of the players who reported the matter has not been made public.

Why can’t such a system be implemented in India?

Also, the British media played a responsible role. No unnecessary hype was created and no speculative stories were circulated. Today, cricketing events like IPL have become a large scale commercial venture. Given the magnitude of the money involved, the temptations offered by the people having vested commercial interest cannot be totally ruled out. The money involved in betting is really big, so the young cricketers, especially, the ones not fully established, fall into the lucrative trap.

The moral of the story is that players like Harmeet Singh, who unfortunately got involved just by their negligence, should not be neglected and they simply deserve a chance to prove their mettle. This will also work as an eye opener for others and will help regain the lost trust in the system.

Also, the recent success of Indian team across all levels has ensured that fixing has taken a back seat and the fans have renewed their faith in their stars. Stringent action against the defaulters will ensure that the game remains clean forever.