Fixing may include both spot fixing and match fixing. The result of the match is predetermined in Match Fixing whereas a certain event or a certain portion of a match is predetermined in Spot Fixing.
Cricket is called a Gentleman’s Game but there have been instances when players were found guilty of being involved in fixing one way or the other. Here is the list of 5 Indian international cricketers who were banned after they were found guilty of fixing.
#1 Mohammed Azharuddin: The renowned elegant middle-order batsman captained India in 47 Tests during the 1990s. His international playing career came to a controversial end when he was implicated in the infamous match-fixing scandal in 2000 and subsequently banned by the BCCI for life.
#2 Ajay Sharma: Ajay Sharma was a prolific run-maker in first-class cricket, mainly for Delhi, scoring over 10,000 runs at the high average of 67.46. Given a minimum qualification of 50 innings, only three players (Sir Donald Bradman, Vijay Merchant and George Headley) have bettered this average in first-class cricket. In 2000, his career ended when he received a life ban from cricket after he was implicated in a match-fixing scandal.
#3 Manoj Prabhakar: The right-arm medium-pace bowler and a lower-order batsman opened the innings for the Indian cricket team until his retirement in 1996. In 1999, Prabhakar participated in Tehelka’s expose of match-fixing, but was himself charged of involvement and subsequently banned by the BCCI from playing cricket. He was dismissed from his coaching role with the Delhi cricket team in 2011 after he publicly criticized the players and selectors.
#4 Ajay Jadeja: He played 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals for India. Jadeja’s cricketing achievements were later overshadowed by a 5-year ban for match-fixing. The ban was later quashed by the Delhi High Court, making Jadeja eligible to play domestic and international cricket. In 2015, Jadeja was appointed as the main coach for the Delhi cricket team but he resigned from the post. Jadeja is currently a cricket commentator.
#5 S. Sreesanth: The right-arm fast-medium-pace bowler and a right-handed tail-ender he played for Kerala and in the Indian Premier League, he played for Rajasthan Royals. He is also the first Kerala Ranji player to have played Twenty20 cricket for India.
On 16 May 2013, the Delhi police arrested Sreesanth and two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan from Mumbai, on charges of spot-fixing during IPL 6. Jiju Janardhan, another key figure accused of spot-fixing, is reported to be Sreesanth’s cousin and an under-22 Gujarat player. However, Sreesanth has always maintained that he is innocent and that he was forced to sign confession statements.
