New Delhi: Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, who was India’s captain during the 1996 world cup refused the claims made by former player Vinod Kambli that the semi final of 1996 World Cup against Sri Lanka could have been fixed.
On Friday, Azharuddin in his statement said that Kambli must have been sleeping when the decision to bowl was taken and it was a collective one.
“We wanted to chase after we lost to Sri Lanka in Kotla in the previous match,” said Azharuddin.
The former Indian skipper also criticized Kambli’s performance in the team. “He should be happy and the thankful for the amount of cricket he got to play. All the players knew about his character. He was dropped on the basis of his performance and the claims of him being a scapegoat are baseless.”, added Azharuddin.
Earlier, former batsman Vinod Kambli had raised questions by saying that the decision to bowl first after winning the toss in the 1996 semi final had puzzled him. He also said that the match ended his career.
“I was stunned by India’s decision to field,” Kambli told a television channel during a debate on former ICC anti-corruption unit chief Paul Condon’s claim that many teams were monitored for fixing in the late 1990s.
India had fallen to 120/8 in pursuit of Sri Lanka’s 251-run total which saw India exit the tournament.
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