Gautam Gambhir blasts BCCI for allowing Azharuddin to ring bell before Eden Gardens T20I

Gautam Gambhir expressed his disappointment and said that this should not have been allowed. Gautam Gambhir has played 57 Tests 147 ODI’s and 37 T-20Is for the Indian team.

Gautam Gambhir has come down hard at the BCCI and respective authorities for allowing former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin to ring the bell before the first T-20 international at the Eden Gardens. Gautam Gambhir expressed his disappointment and said that this should not have been allowed. The southpaw has played 57 Tests 147 ODI’s and 37 T-20Is for the Indian team.

Mohammad Azharuddin who burst onto the scene from Hyderabad had been accused of match-fixing in the early 2000s. Azhar had played 99 Test matches and 334 ODI’s for the country before the BCCI banned him for the match-fixing scandal. Azharuddin was the only batsman in the world to have scored three consecutive centuries in the first three Test matches of his career. The record by Azhar still stands tall.

Gautam Gambhir took to Twitter to express his disappointment on the issue.

India may have won today at Eden but I am sorry @bcci, CoA &CAB lost. Looks like the No Tolerance Policy against Corrupt takes a leave on Sundays! I know he was allowed to contest HCA polls but then this is shocking….The bell is ringing, hope the powers that be are listening. pic.twitter.com/0HKbp2Bs9r

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) November 4, 2018

The former India captain has been trying to get an administrative position in the BCCI. Azhar had tried to contest for the Hyderabad Cricket Association elections earlier but his application was rejected as the board did not have clarity regarding the status of his ban.

However, the BCCI allowed him to contest the elections and even clarified earlier this year that the former India captain is eligible to be a part of BCCI, ICC or any other governing body.

Azhar and the Eden Garden have had a special bond as this is the same ground where he helped India clinch the Hero Cup title back in 1993. On the other hand, Gambhir also shares a special bond with the city and the ground as he has led Kolkata Knight Riders for 7 years. Gambhir won the IPL trophy twice during his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders.