Srinivasan under pressure as former players ask him to resign

Pressure today mounted on N Srinivasan to quit as BCCI President with former cricketers and administrators asking him to respect the Supreme Court observation that he should step down for a fair probe into the IPL fixing scandal.

After going through the contents of a report filed in a sealed cover by apex court-appointed probe panel into the scandal, a bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik said there are "very very serious" allegations made in the report and unless the BCCI President steps down, no fair probe can be conducted.

Former cricketers Mohinder Amarnath and Bishen Singh Bedi said that Srinivasan should now step down while former BCCI administrator and Rajasthan Cricket Association President Kishore Rungta also joined the chorus.

Srinivasan also faced heat from within the Board as BCCI Vice President Shivlal Yadav said they will follow Supreme Court's suggestion.

"SC has given the order, nobody can challenge it. We have to accept it. Since the SC has given an order, there is no question of going back on it or giving an opinion on that. It has to be carried out in total and BCCI will have to follow whatever the Apex Court has given," Yadav said.

Asked if he was willing to do the duty, he said, "Absolutely, I am ready to accept any responsibility given to me."

Former cricketer Amarnath, a member of 1983 World Cup winning team, said that the "game was bigger than an individual" and Srinivasan should step down in the interest of Indian cricket.

"In the interest of the game, one should step aside and let the enquiry go on. As a lover of the game, he should step down. He should respect the law and he should honour what Supreme Court has suggested. Let's see how it goes," Amarnath said.