Former manager of the Indian team and former captain Ajit Wadekar doubted the timing of Vinod Kambli's statement, who claimed that the 1996 semi-final match between and India and Sri Lanka could be fixed.
"My question is, if he knew everything, why did he wait for 15 years," Wadekar, who was the Indian team manager during the 1996 World Cup, said.
Kambli had claimed that Wadekar knew everything about the incident and had even criticised the decision.
"Our team manager at that time Ajit Wadekar was aware of everything. He had even written an article afterwards that Vinod Kambli had been made a scapegoat," he said.
Wadekar, however, said that electing to field first was a collective decision as the team felt that Sri Lankan's were good chasers.
"In the team meeting before the match it was decided that India would field in the event of winning the toss. The decision was taken after consultation with the entire team," Wadekar said.
Wadekar added that even though he and Sandeep Patil were of the opinion that the wicket would turn, the team still decided to field keeping in mind the chasing prowess of the Sri Lankans.
Former cricketers Arun Lal and Atul Wassan also criticised Kambli for raking up the issue after nearly 15 years.
"Kambli's credibility is a problem, I dont know why he is talking about it after so many years", Wassan pointed out.
Former Indian Skipper Azharuddin rubbishes Kambli's claim
Players reaction to Vinod kambli's claim
