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Khetrapal denies Lewis charges

Onkar Singh

The managing director of Radiant Sports, Aushim Khetrapal, today denied the charges levelled against him by English player Chris Lewis. Lewis had claimed that three English players had taken money from him to throw matches.

Khetrapal told rediff.com that he had spoken to Chris Lewis in front of seven people in a room in a hotel, and at no point had he mentioned anything about any English player to him.

"My conversation with Lewis took place for precisely for seven minutes and, during this brief conversation, I had discussed with him the possibility of those English player who could taken part in a benefit match for one of the Punjab Cricket Association official, Pandov. We had retained Lewis to sign up the English players on behalf of Radiant Sports. Lewis is a compulsive lair. He is now getting caught in his own web," said Khetrapal.

Lewis had first made allegations against Khetrapal last September in a story in the News of the World. Lewis had claimed in the write-up that a Indian sports promoter had approached leading English cricketers to get them to throw a match against New Zealand and that the promoter had been willing to spend 300,000 pounds (Rs 75 milllion in Indian currency) to fix a match.

"The man is getting entangled in his own web. First he said that I had asked him to fix a match. Now he says that I told him that three English players had taken money for fixing a match. I fully agree with former English skipper Ian Botham when he says that Lewis should either name the players or just shut up," said Khetrapal.

He also agreed with Botham's viewpoint that Lewis's motives for opening up the controversy all over again were questionable.

"I am told that he sold the story for 100,000 pounds," Khetarpal said.

Though Khetrapal had initiated legal proceedings against Lewis and News of the World by moving the Delhi high court, he did not press for action against Lewis and the newspaper because the newspaper owners had assured him that they would look into the matter.

"After that I did not take follow up action against them. But now that the paper had printed yet another story by Lewis, I do intend to take the legal action against them and file claim for damages," he said.

According to him, officials from Scotland Yard, which had initially taken cognisance of the article in the paper, had once called him up. He said he had sent both the Scotland Yard and ICC copies of the documents that had nailed Chris Lewis.

But the Hansie Cronje controversy gave Lewis one more opportunity to attack him, says Khetrapal. Though Khetrapal claims that no one from Scotland Yard had contacted him after the latest article, those who have been following the controversy feel that the officials from Scotland Yard may come over to Delhi soon to find out what he has to say.

Sources close to him say Khetrapal now flashes the statements issued by some of the leading English player in his defence.

"I have been organising tournaments and promoting the sport. But I am not a match-fixer. Let us get this straight.

"Brian Lara has already said that he had never been approached to throw any match. He has vouched for me. So did a number of other players. Lewis thought that this was yet another opportunity to make some more money and he surely did that by selling another story. But this time around he has lost more friends in the English cricket circuit than he did last time.

"I have nothing to worry about. I am clear. There is nothing to hide. If Scotland Yard does come to India and talk to me about the issue, I will be too happy to lend them a helping hand because now Lewis would not be able to get out of his own web," he said.