Ritesh sticks to bribe charge

Kanpur, Nov. 29 (PTI): Cricketer Ritesh Yadav Saturday reiterated before the Kanpur Cricket Association’s (KCA) disciplinary committee that two selectors from Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association had demanded from him Rs 50,000 as bribe for his inclusion in the under-17 state team.

The KCA disciplinary committee had asked Yadav to appear before it by 5pm this evening failing which the committee would have recommended his expulsion from the KCA.

The player had alleged that UP Cricket Association selectors Gopal Sharma and Shikant Shashikant Khandekar had demanded Rs 50,000 to ‘buy’ a place in the state under-17 team three years ago.

During the interrogation Yadav said that he had no knowledge of the complaining procedure and so he had not informed the KCA about the demand of bribe. Earlier in the day, the KCA had accused Yadav of breaking the norms by going to the media with his allegations.

KCA president Naimuddin Siddique, in a written complaint to Umesh Chand Tiwari, the inquiry officer (a special secretary, sports, of Uttar Pradesh), saidRitesh went to the media to gain “cheap publicity”.

He said: “Ritesh could not even make it to the district team and he was not shortlisted as one of the 75 probables for the state team.”

Siddique said the KCA had also issued show-cause notices to both the selectors to appear before the disciplinary committee on December 5.