Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has responded to ex-Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor’s Twitter disclosures on Monday.
About being solicited by bookies in India, his connection with cocaine, and how he was blackmailed by the bookies afterward. Gambhir wrote about the need for more protection for whistleblowers who report on a “corrupt attitude” in his column for The Times Of India daily.
“Brendan Taylor’s admission of delaying reporting a dishonest strategy has piqued my interest and conscience. When it comes to any misbehaviour, I have a strict zero tolerance policy “Gambhir penned an article.
Taylor is a professional athlete
“I felt the same way when I read Taylor’s statement: disappointment, disgust, and wrath. I read it once, but it did not enrage me. It was the same when I read it again. The third time I read it, the emotions were different. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not a fan of Taylor.
I’m solely concerned with the circumstances that drove him. A father of four children, to postpone reporting the incident to the International Cricket Council Anti-Corruption Unit because he was afraid for his and his family’s lives.
He is a professional athlete, not a hardened criminal. And his faculties would support him if six people barged into his hotel room threatening to broadcast a film in which he was allegedly using an illegal substance.” Gambhir added.
Taylor retired from international cricket last year
In his statement on Monday had said that while there was a delay in reporting the matter to ICC, he did not fix any matches. Taylor retired from international cricket last year as Zimbabwe’s second highest run-getter in ODIs with 6684 runs.
Gambhir further wrote that people who report corrupt approaches should be given more security and also requested the authorities to go a bit soft on Taylor in case he was not involved in any wrongdoing.
“Surely, these crooked folks aren’t working alone. They appear to be part of an organised group most of the time. What if someone had attempted to hurt Taylor or his family physically? Is there a provision for players who report a corrupt approach but are concerned for their or their family’s safety? Is there a network that activates security at the local level? “Gambhir was perplexed.
Authorities may be able to be lenient with him
“According to Taylor, he never succumbed to corruptors’ pressures and never did anything improper. If this is true, authorities may be able to be lenient with him. If he is guilty of corruption, the law will take its course “Gambhir expressed his opinion.
