India's World Cup winning former captain Kapil Dev today said there should be no mercy for the three Pakistani cricketers embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal if they are found guilty.
Kapil said betting in sport is well-known but it is incomprehensible how law enforcement agencies do not know anything about the shady happenings.
"Everybody knows that betting is rampant in the game... how is it possible that the government or the police do not know about it?" the cricketing great, who led India to the 1983 World Cup triumph, told reporters in Mumbai today.
He said the International Cricket Council (ICC) should act against those guilty in the betting scandal allegedly involving the Pakistani team in the strictest way and promptly.
"I am feeling sad for the Pakistani people, not for the three players who let their country down. I am feeling bad that because of the three, Pakistan is being looked at in this way," he said referring to the trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, who are being investigated by the Scotland Yard for their role in the spot-fixing scandal exposed by a British tabloid.
Kapil, whose name was dragged into a match fixing controversy a decade ago only to be cleared later, said young players are being influenced by senior players in the team which is leading to betting.
The sensation from Haryana, who has 434 Test wickets to his credit, criticised other players for overlooking such activities in the dressing room and said the only solution for the malaise is quick reporting to authorities as soon as a player or any individual gets a whiff of it.
"Money is important, I am not saying it is not. The youngsters should play for the pride... cricket should not become WWE (the TV wrestling series running as a soap opera)," he said.
When asked if betting should be legalised, Dev reserved his comments saying he is not a legal expert.
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