Dravid calls for BCCI clarity on conflict of interest issue

Asserting that he he has abided by the prevailing conflict of interest regulations, India A coach Rahul Dravid has called for more clarity on the issue by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Dravid, who coaches the India A and India U-19 sides, is under a 10-month contract with the BCCI so that he can also focus on his other job of being a mentor for the Delhi Daredevils squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Apart from Dravid, several other coaches contracted with the BCCI also have a similar arrangement, including India's fielding coach R. Sridhar, national team physio Patrick Farhart and National Cricket Academy chief physio Andrew Leipus.

Sridhar and Farhart are involved with the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, while Leipus works with the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The issue had drawn the ire of former Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Ramchandra Guha, who alleged that the practice violates the norms of conflict of interest.

"Yes, I have written to the CoA explaining my position and explaining the background against which this perceived conflict of interest has happened," Dravid told ESPNcricinfo on Friday.

"By the BCCI's conflict of interest rules, I was absolutely not under a conflict of interest. If the rules have changed midway through the contract, then I think it is unfair to criticise me for breaking the rules or twisting the rules to suit my convenience," he added.

"My simple point is that, not only me but there are five or six of us who are in the same position. There needs to be clarity. If there is clarity, we will be in a position to take an informed decision. It is disappointing the way this got played out in the public without much understanding of the background."

The CoA members are expected to discuss the issue of conflict of interest issue raised by Guha in his resignation letter.

The CoA is planning to put in place a broad and holistic framework to address conflict of interest situations.

A BCCI official, however, said it wasn't necessarily a reaction to Guha's letter.

"It's not that this has suddenly cropped up today. Nobody is against resolving any of these issues," the official told ESPNcricinfo.

"You have to do it in a holistic manner and that's a work in progress. And certain things have a certain process. You will have to figure out what the right framework is. It is not a situation-specific thing. You need to develop a framework that addresses conflict based on principles."

--IANS

ajb/vt