Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has finally spoken on the accusations of conflict of interest made against him by former Committee of Administrators’s (CoA) member Ramachandra Guha.
Dravid clarified that he has abided by the prevailing conflict of interest regulations and also asserted that he broke no rule by being Delhi Daredevils’ mentor as he was not under any BCCI contract during those two months.
“By the BCCI’s conflict of interest rules, I was absolutely not under a conflict of interest,” Dravid told ESPNcricinfo. “If the rules have changed midway through the contract, then I think it is unfair to criticise me for breaking the rules or twisting the rules to suit my convenience.”
Apart from Dravid, India’s fielding coach R Sridhar and physio Patrick Farhart are with Kings XI Punjab. While National Cricket Academy’s chief physio, Andrew Leipus works with Kolkata Knight Riders.
Guha in his scathing letter to the CoA had alleged that the practice violates the norms of conflict of interest. “No person under contract with an India team, or with the National Cricket Academy, should be allowed to moonlight for an IPL team too,” Guha wrote.
The former cricketer has called for more clarity on the issue by BCCI.
“My simple point is that, not only me but there are five or six of us who are in the same position,” he said. “There needs to be clarity. If there is clarity, we will be in a position to take an informed decision. It is disappointing the way this got played out in the public without much understanding of the background.”
Feature image: AFP