Tony Becca

WHO IS Mukesh Kochar? According to the police in the Indian city of Nagpur, he is a known bookmaker; according to Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels, he is a friend; and, according to the man himself, he is simply a businessman who loves cricket.

One thing is certain, however, Kochar is the man who the police claim Samuels gave inside information to regarding the West Indies team before the first one-day international against India in Nagpur recently. The police taped four conversations between the two, and if Kochar is really a bookie, as the police who have been watching him for a long time believe, Samuels is in trouble.

In fact, the police taped the conversations not because they suspected Samuels, but because they suspected Kochar, because they had him under surveillance and because they found out that he had been calling Samuels not occasionally but regularly.

If, however, Kochar is really who he says he is and not who the police say he is, if he is who Samuels says he is, but for a slap on the wrist, there should be no problem for Samuels.

As much as the tape revealed some interesting questions asked by Kochar and also some interesting answers by Samuels, and as much as Samuels has been around for some time, who toured India before; it appears that if there was no money or any kind of gift involved, the police, it would appear, do not have a case - not even if Kochar is really a bookie.

And according to the police, they do not have any evidence that there was any form of payment involved.

It is also interesting to note that the police have said that apart from the tapes, one of the reasons they suspect Samuels is the fact that he, along with Chris Gayle, stayed back in India after the tour was over to do some promotion, and they believed that Kochar and Samuels met during that time.

Whatever took place in India, although Samuels will have a hard time proving that he does not or did not know what business Kochar is in, or was in, despite their long acquaintance and their friendship, and although a lot will depend on what the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit find out on their visit to Nagpur and their discussions with the Nagpur police, there does not seem to be enough evidence against Samuels.

Big charge

The charge is a big one, however, it is a charge that can damage a man's reputation and his image. Although I do not know what they meant when they said it, regardless of what the West Indies board and the West Indies captain have said about standing by Samuels, it is a charge that can affect the relationship between a man and his team, and if Samuels is innocent, if the police have no more evidence against him, they should say so as soon as possible.

Based on past situations like this one, the procedure is simple and straightforward: the police do their investigations, they pass on their findings to the ICC, and the ICC then makes a recommendation to the board of the player involved.

Although it is almost a safe bet that the West Indies board will stand by Samuels, it is important that it does quickly what it needs to do to have the matter dealt with fairly and speedily.

The World Cup is less than a month away, unlike a few months ago, Samuels appears now to be one of the key players in the West Indies team, and it would not be good if his mind is elsewhere instead of being on performance - on scoring a few centuries, taking a few wickets while bowling economically and being good, if not even brilliant, in the field.