The Hindu : IT sops for cricket team

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 03, 2003

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IT sops for cricket team

By Anjali Mody

NEW DELHI MARCH 2. The Indian cricket captain, Sourav Ganguly, insisted before Saturday's match with Pakistan that it was "only a game".

After the game, he said: "beating Pakistan does not mean we have won the World Cup; a lot of work remains". But it seems that this is not a widely shared sentiment either on the street or in the Government.

Clearly where the Union Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, is concerned, it matters little if India wins the World Cup or not so long as it has won against Pakistan.

As with those who lit up Saturday's night sky with fire works, the Indian cricket team's win against Pakistan was sufficient for the Minister.

Still basking in the glory of his first budget and obviously overcome by the non-sporting symbolism of the India-Pakistan match, Mr. Singh announced that the Indian team would have to pay no income tax on their earnings during this World Cup series.

He sent the team a message saying, "India is proud of you", and made an official announcement that "the prize money received by players for matches in the World Cup Series, individually or as a team, would be exempt from income tax".

There will be no question of a roll back on the announcement even if Saurav Ganguly and his boys — which includes the richest man in the game, Sachin Tendulkar — fail to lift the trophy.

The sense that the bat and ball wielding blue brigade was being seen as a proxy army was only strengthened by the rather unusual conduct of the Chief of the Army Staff, N.C. Vij, who sent the Indian team a congratulatory message through the Indian military attache in Pretoria.

General Vij, who had not felt the need to congratulate India for other victories in the series — also crucial to its entry into the super six — said in his message: "By your performance you have done the country proud".

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