“I wanted to cleanse the toxin from cricket”, says Neeraj Kumar author of ‘Cop in Cricket’

One of the most respected former Delhi Commissioner of Police and BCCI’s chief of anti-corruption, and author of ‘Cop in Cricket’ Neeraj Kumar, IPS (retd) was in the city on an invitation of the Novel Bunch.

He was in conversation with another cricket enthusiast and cardiologist Dr. H.K. Bali who probed into the book’s corruption in cricket.

I had seen the working of BCCI inside out whose officials had least interest in cricket and being an avid cricket fan myself, I have tried to expose the sheer apathy towards the sportsmen, the spectators, and the game which pained me, Neeraj Kumar said.

Neeraj Kumar  served in the BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit from June 2015 to May 2018, that won him deep respect from the young cricketers whom he accompanied to various national and international cricket tours, but also exposed the maladies, what he calls the ‘dark side’ of cricket,  that affect the cricket administration.

Betting is just a tip of the iceberg, but the malady goes deep down with the funds being misappropriated at the level of state cricket associations, and nepotism in selection of young players, etc., though he had to also to look out for and prevent any match fixing.

Hardeep Chandpuri of Novel Bunch introduced the author while exIAS officer, TEDx speaker and author Vivek Atray and himself a cricketer, concluded the session.

The event was hosted by Net Solutions.

Jugernat Publications, 244 pages, Rs.399.00