BCCI bans journalist for forgery

MUMBAI, December 10: The Cricket Board has banned sports scribe Ajay Naidu from covering all matches held under its aegis for allegedly forging the signature of one of the Indian team's support staff and misleading the media that Rahul Dravid was announcing his retirement from Test cricket.
The incident happened on Sunday, the second day of the third and final Test between India and Pakistan at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"Yesterday, a journalist - Ajay Naidu - covering the third Test between India and Pakistan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, asked the official scorer in the Press Box to make an announcement allegedly on the basis of a note signed by Russell Radhakrishnan, travel assistant of the Indian team," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement here on Sunday.
"The announcement was Rahul Dravid had called a press conference to announce his retirement from Test cricket. On enquiry, it was found that Ajay Naidu had forged the signature of Russell," he said.
"The BCCI condemns this act of Ajay Naidu aimed at causing embarrassment to Rahul in the midst of the Test match and, in order that such irresponsible incidents do not occur in the future, it is decided to ban the entry of Ajay Naidu in to the Press Box or Press Conferences at any of the affiliated units of the Board," Shah stated.
"We are also advising immediate withdrawal of his accreditation card for all the international matches."