Opinion - Editorials   

The dispiriting parallelism

If Indian cricket is in poor health onfield, it is in worse shape off it. In Harare, differences between Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell, which were leaked to the media, focussed attention on the captain's indifferent form, lack of fitness, inability to hold Team India together, and desperate desire to lead the side at all costs. This helps explain, at least partially, why Indian cricket, which scaled new heights in recent years, suddenly seems disoriented and clueless. A coach's job is to speak truth (especially) to power. Chappell, one of the game's all-time greats, is a man of high cricketing intelligence, independence, and integrity. He is on a professional mission to take Indian cricket to heights it has not reached before. What does he do when the privileged inputs he makes in the dressing room and his confidential communication to cricket officialdom are leaked, in a motivated way, to serve collateral ends? Distressingly, some Indian cricketers are beginning to lose their head, break norms, and speak out publicly against the coach, exhibiting symptoms of foot-in-the-mouth disease.

At another level, the deferred presidential contest at the Kolkata annual general meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has exposed deep divisions and a sordid attempt by a clique of office-bearers to scuttle the election for fear of losing it. Tireless resort to courts to settle disputes over elementary rules of fair play speaks to a deepening crisis of cricket administration in India. The BCCI's 76th AGM ended on a vague note of compromise after the group headed by Jagmohan Dalmiya found itself outgunned by the forces backing a heavyweight political challenger, Sharad Pawar. The path has been cleared, it seems, for the Union Agriculture Minister to head the world's richest cricket Board. Whether this change at the helm, which is likely to bring a gush of fresh air into the administration of India's most popular game, will take place within a couple of months or only in 2006 is not clear. But one thing is crystal clear: the BCCI and Indian cricket need to be liberated from the stultifying grip of Mr. Dalmiya and his cohorts. Mr. Dalmiya, master of the big picture as well as realpolitik, has made a real contribution to cricket administration and organisation. He was primarily responsible, in the 1990s, for making the BCCI the richest cricket Board in the world. But sport administration cannot be anyone's personal fiefdom. There is a striking parallel here with Sourav Ganguly. His once-upon-a-time world class batting prowess and his contribution to shaping India into a powerful, mentally strong team — one that won the NatWest Trophy and shared the Champions Trophy (with Sri Lanka) in 2002, reached the finals of the World Cup in 2003, beat the mighty Australians in a historic Test series in India, and came close to beating them on their home turf — cannot possibly be overestimated. However, in recent times, Ganguly has amply demonstrated that he is an unsuitable leader, starting with his own form and team selection. The choice before India's captain is simple: attempt, Dalmiya-like, to cling to power or exit gracefully.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

The dispiriting parallelism
Indian Airlines set to take off at last
The unravelling of India's Persian puzzle
Belkhed: the riots & wrongs of caste
Riding out the pain of costly oil
Abject surrender
End the controversy
On the coverage

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu