Fixing/Corruption: 10 Indian cricketers who have been banned

Mohammed Azharuddin was banned for life in 2000

As corruption becomes more rampant in sports, the responsibility of keeping the game clean also keeps increasing for the concerned authorities. But it is not fair to point fingers at sports authorities all the time; one must acknowledge that it is also the responsibility of a player to not bring disrepute to the sports he represents and cherishes.

The problems of betting and match-fixing are not new in cricket. The popularity of the sport, especially in a country like India, always presents special opportunities for bookmakers to cash in. But it is sad to see players treating their love for the game as secondary and falling prey to such bookmakers only for greed. If we look at the story of Indian cricket, it is deeply disturbing to see the number of young cricketers who have thrown away their promising careers just to make some easy bucks.

Impossible as it may seem, even old and experienced cricketers are not entirely immune to such temptations. Here, we take a look at 10 Indian cricketers who fell victim to the charms of these money-making evils and were subsequently banned.

1. Mohammad Azharuddin

1987 World Cup semi-final, where Azharuddin was the highest scorer

One of the greatest Indian captains and one of the finest batsmen of the modern era, it is sad that a player of the calibre of Mohammad Azharuddin got involved in a major match-fixing scandal. With 22 Test centuries and over 15,000 international runs to his credit, Azharuddin was widely considered to be India's best batsman for almost a decade before Sachin Tendulkar rose to prominence.

Azharuddin was also one of the most stylish batsmen ever and is remembered for his brilliant wrist work. He got involved in the match-fixing scandal as Hansie Cronje, while confessing his guilt, also brought allegations against Azharuddin. It was widely reported that Azharuddin had first introduced Cronje to the bookies as he has had healthy connections with them for a long time.

Gradually, reports of Azharuddin's apparent shady connections with the Mumbai underworld also emerged, and his illustrious career reached a new low. He was banned for life by the BCCI and the ICC in 2000. Though the BCCI ban was revoked by the Andhra Pradesh High Court a few years later, the ICC has refused to lift their ban.

It is heart-rending that one of the finest Indian cricket captains will have to live the rest of his life under the burden of guilt.

2. S. Sreesanth

S Sreesanth had some great glory days for India

S Sreesanth is one of the finest Indian fast bowlers ever who is, sadly, remembered today for all the wrong reasons. On his day, Sreesanth could produce fiery spells of pure fast bowling where he swung the ball at a considerable pace.

He was also one of the most promising young cricketers of the new Team India under Greg Chappell, a player who fought fire with fire. Who could forget Sreesanth's spell of 5 for 40 as he helped skittle out South Africa for a paltry 84 in Johannesburg, scripting a famous Indian victory?

Known as a passionate cricketer, Sreesanth let his emotions get the better of him as he kept getting embroiled in one controversy after another. His was a classic case of a fast bowler who always had disciplinary issues.

Sreesanth was arrested in May 2013 for alleged spot-fixing during the IPL, and he later confessed to the charges. He was found guilty of receiving a sum of Rs. 40 lakh for a fixed no-ball that he bowled in a match against the Kings XI Punjab. Reports subsequently emerged of how he had used his towel as a code for the bookies, leading to a feeling of collective astonishment and outrage in the cricketing world.

In an ideal world, Sreesanth would still be a fine fast bowler, leading India's attack with an excellent hunger and determination to do well. Instead, his name has gone down in the cricketing annals as the bad boy of Indian cricket.

3. Manoj Prabhakar

Manoj Prabhakar – one of India’s most accomplished all-rounders

In an excellent career that witnessed 96 Test wickets, 157 ODI wickets and over 385 scalps at the first-class level, Manoj Prabhakar is believed to have achieved what very few cricketers can only dream of. He was one of the rare all-rounders who consistently opened the bowling and batting for India – in 45 ODIs and 20 Tests – setting a record that few can hope to break.

One of the enduring images from the 1996 World Cup was Prabhakar resorting to bowling off-spin in his last two overs to contain Sanath Jayasuriya. When he was dropped from the team after the World Cup, he reacted angrily, bringing a charge of match-fixing against the then captain Mohammad Azharuddin.

In 1999, Prabhakar participated in the Tehelka expose, where he recorded conversations with his colleagues using the hidden equipment he was wearing. He became a deeply controversial figure as he brought scandalous charges of match-fixing against Indian cricketing greats including Kapil Dev. Dev, in a public backlash against Prabhakar, said, "If he has guts, let him come out in the open. How will he face me? I will give him one tight slap."

The match-fixing controversies and allegations led to more intensive investigations, and it was ironically Prabhakar's name that was dragged into the murky waters. He was subsequently banned for match-fixing by the BCCI.

4. Ajay Sharma

First-class cricket legend Ajay Sharma

Ajay Sharma is sadly remembered as a prolific but luckless cricketer whose career came to an abrupt and inauspicious end. He has a record 31 Ranji Trophy centuries to his credit with an average which is only second to Vijay Merchant.

Sharma scored 10,000 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 67.46 – only Sir Donald Bradman, Vijay Merchant and George Headley have a better first-class average than him with a minimum qualification of 50 innings. Though he was unanimously considered to be one of the greatest ever domestic batsmen, Sharma only represented India in one Test match – in January 1988.

Sharma played 31 ODIs but failed to reproduce his domestic form at the international level as he ended with a paltry average of 20.19. And one of the greatest domestic cricketing careers ever ended in controversy when he was implicated in a match-fixing scandal and handed a life ban by the BCCI.

But Sharma has every right to feel wronged – a Delhi district court cleared Sharma of all the charges in 2014. But by then it was too late; the ban in hindsight ended his career.

5. Amit Singh

Rajasthan Royals youngster Amit Singh

Amit Singh is another of those exciting Rajasthan Royals youngsters who promised much but later faded away into oblivion. True to his philosophy of unearthing unknown, exciting talents and giving them the platform to perform, Shane Warne, the captain and coach of the then Rajasthan Royals, built a champion team out of a bunch of unpolished jewels.

Amit Singh was at the top of the list among those promising youngsters in the inaugural edition of the IPL as he made an impressive debut against the Kings XI Punjab with awe-inspiring figures of 4-0-9-3. But luck did not go his way as he was reported for a suspect bowling action twice during that season, only to be cleared later.

Singh lost his place in the Rajasthan Royals team to the terrific fast bowling duo of Sreesanth and Fidel Edwards. He later got embroiled in the IPL spot-fixing controversy, as reports emerged that he was contacted by the bookies and that he also might have served as a middle-man to them. He was banned for a period of five years by the BCCI.

6. Siddharth Trivedi

A fledgeling career killed by the lure of money, Siddharth Trivedi

Siddharth Trivedi's good performances in the U-19 World Cup in 2002, where he took nine wickets in seven matches, led to his rise to prominence as a promising young talent. He later got the Border-Gavaskar scholarship to train for five weeks at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy in Australia. He also made it to the India B team for the 2003 Challenger Trophy.

Trivedi sprang into the limelight while playing for the Rajasthan Royals during the inaugural edition of the IPL where he played a key role for his side which went on to be crowned the champions. He was considered to be an extremely canny bowler, and the spin legend Shane Warne who captained the Royals was effusive in his praise for Trivedi.

Trivedi was later interrogated by the police and admitted to having been contacted by the alleged bookies, Deepak Sharma and Sunil Bhatia from whom he accepted Rs. 3 lakh. He had reportedly returned the money later as he was scared about being found out.

The BCCI imposed a one-year ban on him and he has failed to resurrect his career after that.

7. TP Sudhindra

TP Sudhindra played in one IPL season for Deccan Chargers

Sudhindra was one of those promising cricketers who briefly joined the ICL but later made a comeback to domestic cricket. He picked up 25 wickets for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy in the 2010-11 season and was one of the leading bowlers for his side.

In the 2011-12 season, Sudhindra was the leading wicket-taker with 40 scalps, and he took his side almost single-handedly to the knockout stages of the Elite Division of the Ranji Trophy. However, his brief stint with the Deccan Chargers was not a very happy one. He played in only three games in 2012 and managed to take only one wicket.

The sting operation by India TV ended Sudhindra's promising career. In the operation, Sudhindhra confessed to having bowled a voluntary no-ball in a Madhya Pradesh Premier League T20 match.

Sudhindhra also boasted that he could do it again and that spot-fixing can be easily done in the IPL. His name also cropped up in a sex scandal while the investigation was going on, and he has been handed a life ban by the BCCI.

8. Ankeet Chavan

Ankeet Chavan surrounded by Rajasthan Royals teammates

Ankeet Chavan, the all-rounder who represented the Rajasthan Royals, is sadly remembered more for the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI rather than any worthy on-field contributions.

Chavan, who represented Mumbai in domestic cricket, was arrested on 6th May 2013 and it later emerged that he was offered a sum of Rs. 6 million to give away 14 runs in an over in a match against the Mumbai Indians on 15th May 2013. Chavan had ended up giving away 15 runs off his second over in that match.

When being interrogated, he broke down in police custody and pleaded guilty. He was slapped with a life ban by the BCCI later in 2013. The decision by the Mumbai Cricket Association to later release his dues and pay him a sum of Rs. 32 lakh on 'compassionate grounds' has reportedly not gone down well with the BCCI.

9. Mohnish Mishra

Mohnish Mishra of Pune Warriors

The story of Mohnish Mishra is one of missed opportunities. A talented middle-order batsman who made his debut for Madhya Pradesh at the tender age of 16 and went on to play for India at the U-19 World Cup in 2002, Mishra threw away his talent in favour of money.

He was banned for joining the rebel Indian Cricket League but returned to play for his state team in 2009 after accepting an amnesty offer from the BCCI. He represented the Deccan Chargers in 2010 and followed that up with a brilliant domestic season where he scored a whopping 718 runs from 9 matches at an average of 59.83.

Mishra joined the Pune Warriors India in 2011. But he was one of the accused caught in the sting operation conducted by India TV and was banned for a year by the BCCI. Mishra's career took a downward plunge after that, and he has faded into oblivion since.

10. Shalabh Srivastava

Shalabh Srivastava dives for Kings XI Punjab

Shalabh Srivastava was a promising left-arm medium-pace bowler from Uttar Pradesh. In the U-19 Cricket World Cup in 2000, he was the highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps to his credit.

He was briefly associated with the Kings XI Punjab before a sting operation by India TV threw his career into disrepute. In the operation, Srivastava reportedly conceded that he received black money from the franchises and was willing to spot-fix in exchange for cash.

When the audiotapes emerged, Shalab Srivastava was banned for a period of five years by the BCCI on 15th May, 2012.