BCCI: No quid pro quo in dropping Hogg charges

The Indian team's media Manager M V Sridhar said there was no quid pro quo in dropping charges against Hogg.

Dropping of charges against Brad Hogg was not part of any deal with the Australians and the Indian team management was prepared to defend Harbhajan Singh in his appeal against conviction for alleged racial abuse.

“The two issues are absolutely independent of each other and we are prepared to slug it out in Harbhajan’s defence.

There is no quid pro quo in this matter,” Indian team’s media manager M V Sridhar said on Monday.

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“We are just waiting for the date for his hearing to be decided by the Appeals Commissioner,” he said.

However, the team’s administrative manager Chetan Chauhan made it clear he would like to see the Australians reciprocate and drop the charges levelled against Harbhajan.

“It is up to them whether they want to allow the appeals process to go forward. It is a good gesture by captain Anil Kumble after discussions with BCCI officials and we now want to focus on cricket,” he said.

“Things happen in the heat of a game and what happens on the field should stay on the field.”

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Sridhar said Kumble had taken the lead in the matter and shed past baggage.

“The decision was taken during the week after the Sydney Test and we want to move on now in the best interests of the game.

“We got the necessary advice from the BCCI and it was a collective decision,” Sridhar said.

Chauhan denied the latest developments were a victory for the Indian side.

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“It is a positive decision to defuse the tension and bitterness that had arisen between the two teams,” he said.