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Dubai: Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, in the eye of a storm again following some of his comments in a column, is unfazed by the controversy going around him.
It has been reported that Gavaskar has been asked by the ICC to choose between his role as the ICC cricket committee chairman and a columnist. A British newspaper has reported that the ICC's decision had the full support of its members which met last week in Dubai.
"My parent body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been in touch with me. According to them, no such decision has been taken by the ICC last week. What the BCCI has told me and what is being reported is in total variance and hence there is not need for me to react to it," remarked Gavaskar to Gulf News.
When asked if given an option of being in the committee or writing his column, he said: "I love writing and also being on television. I also appreciate the opportunity to be on the ICC committee, to sit along with players who have distinguished themselves and umpires who are in the technical committee. Being in the ICC committee, I get a perspective of every stake holder and so it is enjoyable and very fulfilling."
Was there an understanding with the ICC when he became the committee member that he would not be a columnist, Gavaskar said: "I have been in the committee for a long time. There hasn't been any do's and don't's that I had to follow. Nor has anybody else in the committee been given such instructions for that matter."
Fantastic incentive
He also elaborated on his approach towards his columns: "I don't set out to stand up. As far as possible, I want to state what has happened. Very often in a column, you need not necessarily write what you think...it could even be what people around you have mentioned. So, it is never with any intention to stand up."
Talking about the impact of IPL, he strongly believes that too much money would not spoil the youngsters. "I think IPL is a fantastic incentive for the youngsters to be able keep themselves physically fit as well as to try and develop their game and be in a position to earn more money. Cricket has become a career option and not something that you play as a past time."
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