There is no ‘Conflict of Interest’ when I commentate: Sunil Gavaskar

With the new BCCI regime embarking on a clean-up operation, former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar on Monday termed the ‘conflict of interest’ issue as a “myth”, saying he has always spoken his mind irrespective of whether it toes the board’s line or not.

The Shashank Manohar-led board cracked the whip on conflict of interest in the annunal general meeting, unveiling a slew of reforms, including the appointment of a retired judge as its ombudsman. When asked to throw light on the conflict issue, Gavaskar said the his analyst role never clashed with any position he has held in BCCI or ICC.

“Transparency is always welcome. Nothing in the BCCI contract that stops me from saying this or that. I always ask where is the ‘conflict of interest’ I guess it’s a myth made by parties. Whoever is doing conjectures should understand that there is no conflict of interest as far as my role in the commentary box is concerned,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by a TV channel.

“I have always spoken what I have to, irrespective of whether it toes the BCCI line or not. I always criticised Duncan Fletcher, even he was appointed by BCCI right. So there is nothing in our contract that tells us to say this or not say that,” he added.

Gavaskar, who was also appointed interim BCCI chief in 2014 during IPL 7 after N. Srinivasan was forced to step aside from his duties, said the conflict of interest never came in his way of work.