Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Getting smacked where it hurts!

The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), the all powerful body that controls the most popular sport in this country is a warren hole of politics and corruption. Among the richest sport bodies in the world, BCCI is among the most unprofessional bodies – headed by a politician who is as far away from cricket as I am from travelling to the moon! The selection of a coach for the Indian team, after the disastrous experiment with Greg Chappel, brought on by the need of the board to rule as it pleases, has turned into a big time farce. First to come along was Dav Whatmore, the current Bangladesh coach, who was unceremoniously dumped because a couple of ex-cricketers, a.k.a. Gavaskar, Shastri etc didn’t approve of him – not because he wasn’t a good coach but was too media savvy for BCCI’s comfort or maybe a man who refused to be dictated. Next to be sent the invite was Mr. Graham Ford, the current director of cricket at Kent, who has, as of last night, wisely decided to keep away from the wheeling-dealings of Indian cricket. BCCI has, perhaps for the first time in its history, been turned down, so publicly and in full media glare.

BCCI has had this coming for a long time and Mr. Ford’s smack got an added sting with Mr. Emburey too declining any (potential) offer to coach the Indian team. Its time BCCI woke up to its antics and realised the need to transform itself into a competent, professional body where only competence counts instead of the state-wise quotas, favouritism, lobby groups etc etc. Take for instance the presence of utterly incompetent people on board, as far as cricket is concerned, like Rajiv Sukhla, a journo turned political sycophant who has nothing to do whatsoever with the game. Ever wondered why a person like the erstwhile India captain Kapil Dev does not choose to associate himself with the board or why Gavaskar – undoubtedly one of the greats of world cricket – represents the section that refuses to take onus for their actions and politicking while hurriedly calling a press meet to explain that he can’t understand the ways of the board while being a member of the coach selection team that has got so resoundedly smacked by Graham.

Well done Mr. Ford!