Kapil insists he will not play charity match

Onkar Singh

Former India cricket captain and coach Kapil Dev on Tuesday said there is no change in his decision to stay out of the proposed limited-overs cricket match -- in aid of the Gujarat earthquake victims -- between players of India and Australia who had played in the tied Test in 1986, in Madras on March 17.

When contacted by rediff.com at his residence, the Indian cricket icon said: "I have already conveyed my decision to the media. There is no change whatsoever in it."

Reminded that he was the leading figure in organising a charity match during the Kargil conflict, Kapil said, "There are many other ways to help the victims.

"I do not have to play a match to help those who are in distress. I could do the same through some other channels."

Asked if he plans to organise a golf tournament to raise money for the quake victims, he replied: "I would not like to comment on this issue right now."

The leading wicket taker for India, with 434 Test wickets, is still sulking over the manner in which his name was dragged into the match-fixing scandal by Manoj Prabhakar.

Meanwhile, Board of Control for Cricket in India's vigilance commissioner K Madhavan told rediff.com that he is yet to finalize his report on his meetings with Kapil Dev and former India captain and coach Ajit Wadekar, whom he examined a couple of months back.

"I have not been able to do the job so far, and because of the India - Australia tour there will be pressure on the board. So, I guess, the report would take some time to be completed," he said.

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