Published: Jul 09, 2016, 08:38 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 09, 2016, 08:39 AM (IST)
Former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad has been embroiled in a controversy, after he was alleged to have running a cricket academy, despite currently being the junior chief selector. Prasad, who played 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India, was co-founded and co-owned ‘SLS Academy for Cricket Excellence’ along with his former state teammate Sujith Somasunder. After an anonymous complaint was raised against Prasad, Justice AP Shah issued a ruling against Prasad stating he can only be a part of one. Reportedly, Prasad has now pulled out of his stake in the academy. ALSO READ: Venkatesh Prasad: Wouldn’t have applied if I knew Anil Kumble was in race for India head coach role
The order of Justice AP Shah stated, “A notice was issued to Prasad on May 14. In his reply, Prasad admitted that SLS Academy is owned and managed by a company, ‘Starting Line Sports and Education Private Ltd,’ co-founded and co-promoted by him along with Somasunder in 2014. Prasad said he still owns 50% of the shareholding of the company. He then clarified that he was nominated as a BCCI selector only subsequently, in November 2015, after which he had not participated in any coaching assignment at the academy.”
The decision was taken according to the law of BCCI, which states, “Rule 2(C) of the BCCI `Rules of Conflict’ of Interest make it very clear that retired cricketers who are appointed as coaches of Indian teams or national selectors shall not be associated with any private coaching academies during their tenure. This implies that retired cricketers are not permitted to be involved in running or owning or being associated with a cricket academy if they are national selectors.”
Prasad isn’t the first to face the ire of Justice Shah in an alleged ‘conflict of interest’ case. A similar decision was taken against Raghuram Bhat, the former Karnataka spinner, who was a selector as well as spin bowling coach of Karnataka State Cricket Association.
