Union sports minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday in Ahmedabad said there would be no hurdles in participation of the Indian Cricket team in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) KnockOut tournament next year. Bharti told reporters that it was a collective decision of different ministries at the centre to not allow the Indian cricket team to participate in the one-day internationals, that concluded in Sharjah recently. "Cricket is played for commercial considerations in Sharjah", Bharti said.

Denying the allegation that the Sports Ministry had unilaterally decided not to permit the Indian cricket team from participating in the triangular series, she said that other ministries like the External Affairs had also influenced the decision. Moreover, together with Singapore and Toronto, Sharjah was not recognised as a cricket venue by the ICC, she added. Regarding recent notice to BCCI by Income-Tax Department seeking details about its income and expenditure for a few years in the 1990s, Bharati said she was not aware about it.

About the controversy on organising the Afro-Asian Games in India, she said a decision had been taken on holding it but it had to be deferred for lack of infrastructure. An expenditure of Rs 80 crore would be incurred in organising the games and the Centre would contribute Rupees 50 crore towards it, the minister added.

© PTI