India-England Manchester Test in 2014 was fixed, says former manager

"Given the conditions of the pitch due to rain, we have decided to bowl first in a team meeting but I was surprised that Dhoni opted to bat first", said Sunil Dev in a sting video shown to media persons at Delhi on Sunday, reported ToI.

India was bowled out for 152 after deciding to bat first with the English pacers having a field day after conditions favoured them. With a sorry batting performance again in the second innings, India lost the Test by an innings and 54 runs to lose the series 1-2.

Dev said that it was a deliberate attempt by Dhoni to lose the Test and alleged that Dhoni was involved in the fixing of the match, according to a report in ToI.

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As per Dev, he also communicated the issue to then BCCI president N Srinivasan through a letter.

"People won't believe the truth," Dev said when asked why he had not wanted his report to be leaked, said the report in ToI.

However, Justice Mukul Mudgal, who head IPL spot-fixing committee, rejected Dev’s claims saying the matter should have been raised before. He also gave the example of India’s decision to bat first and winning the Test at Leeds, where the ball swings similar to Manchester, reported ToI.   

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