Jiju Janardhanan mystery shocks players

Dubai: Jiju Janardhanan, who is alleged to have played the middle-man role between Test star Shantakumaran Sreesanth and the bookies in the alleged spot-fixing scandal, was the captain of the Cochin teams that played in the two UAE tournaments recently.

Janardhanan captained Cochin Diwans in the Kerala Premier League (KPL)in Dubai and Cochin Cannons in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL)in Sharjah. His team lost in the KPL semi-final but won the KCL title. A fine right-arm pacer, Janardhanan even won KCL’s player of the tournament award.

V.S. Biju Kumar, the manager of the Cochin team who is shocked that his team’s captain has been named in the spot-fixing scandal, said: “Jiju [Janardhanan] never looked like someone who could commit such crimes. He was so dedicated and won many matches for us through his performances. We are in total shock.”|

Janardhanan was picked to play for Cochin as one of their overseas players. “We wanted a good player who may not be picked for the Kerala Ranji trophy training camp but can be a fine all-rounder. Jiju fitted the bill. He was also playing in Gujarat. During our tournament he gave his best. We cannot believe he could do such a thing. No one should commit such crimes in cricket,” added Kumar.

Sreesanth had introduced Janardhanan as his cousin to former Kerala players P.G. Sundar and C.T.K.Mashood during the KPL tournament. Following the scandal, Sreesanth’s father has revealed that Janardhanan is only a friend of Sreesanth whom his son met at the MRF Pace Foundation camp in Chennai and not a relative.

Mashood, who played under Janardhanan’s captaincy in the KCL, said: “I was introduced to Jiju by Sreesanth. Jiju respecting my seniority even asked me to lead the team but I declined. He was in top form in the tournament and ensured our team’s victory.”