Neither Indian cricketer nor match official held for rape in Harare: BCCI

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur on Sunday quashed reports of an Indian cricketer being held by the police for allegedly raping a woman in Harare, saying the allegations are completely untrue and neither the player nor the match official is found involved in the incident.

"There is no truth in this allegation. There is no Indian cricketer or any match official involved in the incident. They have nothing to do with the incident. I just want to make it clear that the BCCI employees, the players or the match official have nothing to do with the incident," Thakur told the media.

Meanwhile, Indian ambassador to Zimbabwe, R. Masakui, also confirmed that there is no involvement of the Indian cricketer in the Harare incident.

Masakui, however, revealed that two persons have been detained in this regard, adding the Indian embassy in Harare is following up on this case.

"We have seen in the news report that two internationals are involved in the rape on Thursday evening. This is an unfortunate incident. However, this is to clarify that no cricketer is involved in this incident. We are seeking consular access to these two persons, who are detained, and the embassy of India in Harare is following up on this case and we will inform the Government of India of the developments," R. Masakui.

The claims came after India suffered a two-run defeat in their opening T20 match against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.