CHENNAI: The IPL never stops of short of creating headlines. Be it for reasons on the field or off it. In the latest of such incidents, former India women’s coach Tushar Arothe was arrested in Vadodara on Monday night for betting on IPL matches. This was confirmed by JS Jadeja, DCP of the Crime Branch in the local police.
“We arrested Tushar Arothe along with 18 other persons during a raid at a cafe. Their phones and vehicles have been seized,” Jadeja was quoted as saying by a news agency. They have been detained for questioning.
According to preliminary reports, the match they were betting on was between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab, which took place in Mohali on Monday. Reports also claimed that cash in excess of Rs 10 lakh was confiscated from the accused persons.
While betting on cricket is a common crime and such incidents generally come to notice during the IPL, this is most possibly the first time that a noted cricketer has been booked.
Arothe was coach of the Indian women’s team which finished runners-up at the 2017 World Cup. He had served as the team’s fielding coach before that.
The end of Arothe’s reign as the women’s team coach came under controversial circumstances. The players were apparently not happy with the long training sessions he conducted.
“These incidents are not unheard of. But to know that a player of Arothe’s stature has been arrested is surprising. We don’t know yet if he is actually involved since details are still to come out. It’s too early to say if the association will contemplate action against him if he is found guilty,” said an official of the Baroda Cricket Association. He added that Arothe is not associated with the state body in any capacity at the moment.
A former left-handed batsman and off-spinner, Arothe is 52. He played and captained Baroda with distinction and participated in 114 first-class matches from 1985-86 to 2002-03. His son Rishi is a left-arm bowler and a current Baroda player in the domestic circuit.