Jagdale, Shirke refuse to return to BCCI

BCCI president N Srinivasan flanked by secretary Sanjay Jagdale addressing a press conference on Monday.
BCCI president N Srinivasan flanked by secretary Sanjay Jagdale addressing a press conference on Monday.

Former Cricket Board Secretary Sanjay Jagdale and Treasurer Ajay Shirke today made it clear that they have no intention of returning to the BCCI despite being requested by the working committee members to reconsider their decision to resign.

Jagdale along with former Shirke quit from their respective posts on Friday in the wake of the spot-fixing and betting scandal that rocked Indian cricket.

"They were unanimous in asking us (Shirke) to take back the resignation, but I feel bad that I cannot respond in a positive manner," Jagdale said in Indore after the Emergent Working Committee here.

Shirke, who was in here, said, "I don't want to act pricey or displease anyone, but I cannot continue."

Bowing to all-round pressure, N Srinivasan today agreed to "step aside" as BCCI President under a compromise formula that brought back former Chief Jagmohan Dalmiya as head of a four-member "interim arrangement" to run the Board.

Jagdale said he was hurt that important issues were not discussed in the meeting.

"What hurt me during the meeting is we should have discussed the system and not just individuals. How to cleanse the system. And what wrong things have entered the game of cricket."

He also said his decision to resign was not influenced by anyone.

"My stand is not connected in any way with any politics. I have never met Mr Kamal Nath. I have never spoken to Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia on this matter. Nobody influences me, nobody pressurises me. I did what my heart said, what my mind said," Jagdale said.

"To be frank, my decision was not because of any individual or any group. There are no groups in the BCCI to my knowledge.

"The recent on-field and off-field happenings hurt me.

This is not how I played cricket. I was really hurt as were crores of Indians."

Asked about Srinivasan stepping aside and not resigning from his post, Jagdale said, "That's a BCCI decision. I don't want to comment on it."

But Shirke was forthright in his views on the meeting.

"We need a more credible explanation rather than just putting old wine in new bottles... I am not only unhappy. I am extremely sad. I am at the same time extremely concerned about the future.

"Nobody except Mr (I S) Bindra and myself and a couple of others questioned this arrangement. At the end of the day, this has been carried through."

Talking further about the arrangement, he said, "What I understand at a simple level, I don't think this works legally, but bigger leaders have suggested this. I cannot see how this kind of arrangement work."

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