Dinesh Mongia appeals for an amnesty from BCCI

What's the story?

"I hope someone in the BCCI hears my case just as they have of Mohammad Azharuddin." These are the words of appeal made by former Indian cricketer, Dinesh Mongia to the Indian cricket board. The former Indian international has long been asking for amnesty or an official pardon from the board against the match fixing charges which were made him against him by Lou Vincent - the former New Zealand batsman.

Mongia opted to play for the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2007 for the Chandigarh Lions. His teammate, Lou Vincent, accepted match fixing charges against him in 2015 and named Mongia and Chris Cairns in the London court for wrongdoing. Though the courts have given Mongia a clean chit, the 40-year old is still asking for an amnesty from the BCCI and has also pleaded with them to clear his dues.

In case you didn't know...

Dinesh Mongia was a regular in the Indian team in the early 2000s and was a part of the 2003 World Cup squad which went to South Africa. He represented India in 57 one day internationals and in one T20 game against South Africa. He was the top scorer in that game with 38 runs. The all-rounder also featured in 121 first class matches.

The heart of the matter

Many players who were in the ICL have been brought back into the scheme of things from 2009 with Dinesh Mongia being a surprise exclusion. Though he has not been banned from playing first class matches, Mongia has claimed that he has not been given an amnesty by the BCCI till date. He also cited the examples of Ambati Rayudu and Stuart Binny who played with him in the ISL and have now been successfully playing for the national side.

What's next?

At the age of 40, Dinesh Mongia might not play first class cricket again but now with this issue being wide open in the media, expect a statement from the BCCI soon on this matter.

Author's take

The players from the now-defunct ICL have all been reinstated back into the board but the case of Dinesh Mongia seem to be a bit different. The board must have been taken aback by the corruption charges levied upon him and despite the court giving him a clean chit on the basis of "lack of evidence", BCCI seems to have not bought this theory.