'Pravin Tambe broke down in tears. His opportunity had been tarnished': Former RR bowler recalls 2013 spot-fixing saga
The former Rajasthan Royals star narrated how Pravin Tambe, who made his IPL debut that year, was hit badly by what had transpired, but the leg-spinner still managed to put up a brave demeanour in the face of adversity.
The 2013 spot fixing scandal was an infamous chapter in the history of Indian cricket. The actions of Rajasthan Royals’ trio of S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and the subsequent betting cases that rose out of it hurt the credibility of the Indian Premier League. Former RR bowler Brad Hogg, who was with the franchise that year recalled the impact of the whole saga and how it affected the players. Hogg said the franchise was being hounded by the media the moment the whole development was brought to notice. (Also Read | Sunil Narine recalls when Sachin Tendulkar asked for his bowling footage during Champions League T20)
"There was this one time with Rajasthan Royals when we were in Mumbai and the spot-fixing saga broke out. We got on the bus after playing Mumbai the next morning to go to Hyderabad. Three players weren’t on that bus, they had been arrested. We get to Hyderabad, there are cameras everywhere. We just want to get out of the bus and in our rooms. Paddy Upton the coach called us down, made sit around the pool, discuss the situation and asked how everyone was feeling," Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
Everyone was distraught. They were so upset with what had actually happened. The actions of a few affected everyone else and all the players that were present had the value of playing the game in a respectful manner and not even thinking about doing anything remotely close to what those three had done."
Hogg then narrated how Pravin Tambe, who made his IPL debut that year, was hit badly by what had transpired, but the leg-spinner still managed to put up a brave demeanour in the face of adversity.
"The questions went around and it came to Pravin Tambe to give his take on what is happening. He just broke down his tears. The opportunity of playing at the highest level on TV had been tarnished from the actions of three other people. And that little emotional speech, his answer made everyone turn around and say we’ve got to keep going," Hogg mentioned.
