IPL 10: Sehwag weighs in on betting, says it’s players responsibility to maintain integrity

Veteran India batsman and current Kings XI Punjab director of cricket operations Virender Sehwag, on Friday, stated it was up to the individual players to keep away from activities such as betting and spot-fixing after the scourge resurfaced during the ongoing Indian Premier League recently, reported PTI.

The dark underbelly of the IPL was exposed once again after three people, including an insider with pitch access, were arrested at Kanpur for allegedly running a betting racket during Wednesday’s IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Gujarat Lions. “You can’t stop all these things. It’s the player’s responsibility whom he wants to meet. It’s my wish whom I want to meet. If my conscience is clear then I can help keep the game clean too,” Sehwag said.

“You can keep enormous security, but they can’t stop anything if the player wants to do something [unlawful]. It’s the player’s own responsibility to ensure that no one questions your integrity,” the Nawab of Najafgarh said.

“If anyone makes any comments about me [allegations about betting], then during my playing days I would have said I will retire. Now [if someone makes allegations] I would say wipe off all my records. If players take such type of responsibility [stand], then these guys [bookies] won’t approach you,” Sehwag said.

‘I don’t remember meeting anyone unknown in hotels’

The three arrested people in Kanpur included a person who worked as a sub-contractor in IPL who had bragged to the bookie that his access to Green Park groundsmen will help him tamper with the pitch, according to the police. Sehwag stated that he has been discreet about lending access to unknown people at his team hotel,

“I don’t remember meeting anyone unknown in the hotels because it’s my choice. If my friend comes to meet me, then I ensure that the friend comes and his friend doesn’t come along. [Similarly] if someone related to me comes to meet me, I ask him not to bring along anyone else. It’s all about player’s awareness,” the 38-year-old said.

Sehwag also warned about against reputations getting destroyed permanently in the light of such incidents, “This game is such that it will give you a lot, but if your image is tarnished then you also lose the respect. People love cricket in this country. But if someone does bad with this game, they sideline them and keep talking bad about him, which no player wants to hear,” he added.

Sehwag backs Kohli

Unperturbed by the indifferent recent form exhibited recently by India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli, Sehwag stated that a player of his class knew how to get out of a rut,“It [bad patch] happens with every player. Even if you look at the great Sachin Tendulkar, he hasn’t played the same [way] every year. Even your [media] questions keep changing time to time. When time changes, form also changes. The hallmark of a good player is who can come out of bad form and Virat knows very well how to come back into good form,” Sehwag said.