More anti-corruption runs, please!

The last 365 days have been one of the most tumultuous in Indian cricket when it comes to off-field matters. On May 16, 2013, India woke up to the news of Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila being arrested on charges of spot fixing.

One year down the line, there have been some drastic changes in Indian cricket - some brought about by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and some, more critically, by the Supreme Court through the three-member Justice Mudgal Probe Committee.

Is cricket cleaner than what it was one year ago? It's a question that doesn't have any clear answers because there is simply no evidence to say so. From time to time, bookies are caught opening up betting avenues and who can tell whether players are truly quarantined from bad elements.

There has been a degree of awareness with the players over the dangers of indulging in hanky-panky, but there's a lot of work to be done.

There's no shortage of icons in Indian cricket. Many of them like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman are involved with IPL franchises as mentors.

What stops the otherwise innovative guiding forces of the IPL to make these icons ambassadors of anti-corruption?

Along with the numerous IPL promotional hoardings around the country, why don't we see a Tendulkar cut-out staring at us on the streets promoting cricketing anti-corruption? Educating players in IPL teams is not enough. There are budding cricketers out there on the streets and maidans.

Corruption has been the bane of this nation. In a lesser way, the same can be said about cricket. The BCCI and IPL franchises cannot be satisfied by the measures they have put in place to arrest this problem.

The question, ‘Is cricket cleaner than what it was one year ago?' inevitably crops up again.

Indian cricket lovers deserve a positive, emphatic and truthful nod next year.