Time for Azhar to take a stance and clear his name: Ganguly

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Mohammad Azharuddin should take a strong stance following his claims made against Vinod Kambli and put an end to all the ‘whispers’ surrounding the former skipper's name, says Sourav Ganguly.

"Azhar should take a stance. It's up to him how he deals with it. But the time has come for Azhar to clear his name. There are too many whispers going around," Ganguly said when asked about Kambli's claims that the 1996 World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka could have been fixed.

Ganguly also rubbished Kambli's claim that the match at the Eden Gardens ruined his career.

"His (Kambli's) claim that his career was finished because of that game is rubbish. How can that game ruin his career, he was not out then," Ganguly told Headlines Today.

Ganguly said the decision to field could have been the result of Sri Lanka's earlier league match against India at the Feroz Shah Kotla here, where Sri Lanka chased down 270-odd runs with ease.

"I can sympathise with Azhar. I can understand the reasons of putting Sri Lanka in. If you remember Sri Lanka chased 270-odd runs in Delhi in an earlier match."

Ganguly further hoped that Kambli has his facts right.

‘Was Kambli sleeping?’

Meanwhile 1983 World Cup winning skipper Kapil Dev asked if Kambli was sleeping all these 15 years.

The media should not give credence to all this statements, Kapil felt.

Kambli, a former Indian cricketer who has often been embroiled in controversies both on and off the field, on Thursday raised suspicion on the 1996 World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka and said he found ‘something amiss’ in the game.