Glossing through the timeline of matchfixing over the past week, the two names of Indian cricketers that stand out the most are that of Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja. Well, the former Indian captain is now an honourable Member of Parliament and the latter has made his mark as an insightful analyst on the game, but there is no denying the fact that the board's ban had marginalised them from the game quite effectively.

There were, of course, some other names on the footnote — whose roles suggested that the malaise of matchfixing in Indian cricket did not actually begin or end with the suspension of the two names mentioned above. Remember Manoj Prabhakar? Sitting in judgement more than a decade later, it's difficult to say whether he was actually the whistle blower or wanted to settle an old score with one of the deities of Indian cricket, but it was his tell-all interview in 1997 which started it all.

A limited allrounder with a streetfighter mentality, Prabhakar had the kind of personality that you would love to hate. His brashness, love for nightlife had earned him enough notoriety and hence, when he first dropped the bombshell that a senior team member had offered him money to ‘under perform' in a match in Sri Lanka in 1994, it was difficult to take him seriously.

Was he trying to make the quick buck, or as he claimed, wanted to cleanse Indian cricket? He remained some sort of an enigma though — keeping silent on the identity of the offending teammate for three years — till he dropped another shocker by saying it was Kapil paaji (Dev). The Cronje scandal had then just broken and many felt that Prabhakar was trying to fish in the troubled waters by naming a person whose love for watan (own country) was part of the country's cricketing folklore.

However, the disclosure did play it's part in broadening the base of the investigations — bringing the likes of Azharuddin, Jadeja, Nayan Mongia, Ajay Sharma and of course Dev himself under the scanner. In the end, Prabhakar was also part of the indicted lot on charges of keeping connection with bookies, but by then he had willy-nilly triggered the great purge of Indian cricket.

As life went on, Prabhakar did try to dabble with cricket occasionally as coaches for also-ran state teams, but it's a successful business of natural fragrance that keeps him gainfully employed now. The game has meanwhile changed beyond recognition, more so in the post-IPL era, where the distinction between the truth and a stage-managed show is often a blur.

We will never know if Prabhakar did speak the truth, but all we do know is that he is the one who started it all!