Vinod Rai refuses to provide BCCI representation in Sachin, Laxman conflict matter

After Sourav Ganguly’s Conflict of Interest hearing, BCCI Ombudsman sent notices to Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman following a Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) member Sanjeev Gupta lodged a complaint against them. A senior BCCI official launched an attack on CoA following that, asking they made a mockery of the Ombudsman by sending Rahul Johri to the hearings of Sourav Ganguly, although Rai confirmed that CoA decided not to send a representative for the Sachin-Laxman hearing.

"Having a representative during the Ganguly meeting with the ombudsman was absurd. The very idea of having an Ombudsman was to ensure an absence of bias in these proceedings which are in the nature of an inquiry. If someone is being sent to the meetings, one might as well do away with the ombudsman because the presentation of those reference points come with an inherent bias,” a senior BCCI official told IANS.

"Say, if the Rahul Johri matter is given to the ombudsman then will he assist as a person of reference? Can you rule out the chance that the reference points that were given (in Ganguly's matter) were not being given keeping in mind that his own case may come up in the future and knowing that any precedent set there would affect him too? Where is the need for physical reference? Providing documents is enough, and that too when asked for," the official added.

While Tendulkar has already sent a 14-point written response to the Ombudsman claiming that he has never "received any compensation" from Mumbai Indians and neither did he hold any decision-making role in the franchise, VVS Laxman is yet to provide his report.