Cricketer Gautam Gambhir has expressed disappointment over Mohammed Azharuddin, who as part of a new custom, rang the bell at the iconic Eden Gardens to signal the start of the first T20I between India and West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday.
The former captain had been called for the ceremony by the Cricket Association of Bengal but Gambhir believes Azharuddin’s presence was against the BCCI’s no-tolerance policy against corruption.
He wrote on Twitter, "India may have won today at Eden but I am sorry @bcci, CoA &CAB lost. Looks like the No Tolerance Policy against Corrupt takes a leave on Sundays! I know he was allowed to contest HCA polls but then this is shocking....The bell is ringing, hope the powers that be are listening."
Azharuddin played 99 Tests and 334 One-Day Internationals for India before he was banned by the BCCI for his involvement in the 2000 match-fixing scandal. The ban was, however, lifted in 2012 by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which termed the punishment ‘unsustainable’.
In January 2017, BCCI disallowed Azharuddin from contesting Hyderabad Cricket Association elections due to lack of clarity on the status of his ban by the board. Earlier this year, the the cricket borad gave him a green signal to contest the polls saying that he was no longer prohibited from holding any position in the BCCI, ICC or any other affiliate bodies.