da winzada777： The AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has alwaysattracted considerable attention all over the country
Partab Ramchand03-Oct-2001The AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has alwaysattracted considerable attention all over the country. Weeks before themeeting, the battle lines are drawn and strategies and counterstrategies are planned in a manner that would be the envy of an armygeneral.
He has certainly started his tenure on an encouraging note if his comments at the press conference at the conclusion of the meeting are any indication. One particularly liked the way he described match fixing as the “most heinous crime against one’s country” while making it clear that there was no question of any relaxation of the ban on ‘guilty’ players.
A lot of glamour has always been associated with the plum posts, giventhe power and prestige the game enjoys in the country and that is whysome of the leading politicians have contested for the post of thepresident. Why, in the last two decades, we have had such prominentpersonalities from this field as SK Wankhede, NKP Salve and MadhavraoScindia as board chiefs.But even given this background, the interest in the weekend’s meeting ofthe BCCI at Chennai was perhaps at an all time high. Chief attentioncentered around the high profile contest between the incumbent ACMuthiah and the challenger Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former president of theInternational Cricket Council, who interestingly had served earlier asthe BCCI secretary. Muthiah had been elected to the post in 1999 and wasexpected to win a third term, given his impressive record in tacklingamong other problems, the match fixing issue. But Dalmiya, a shrewdadministrator with a strong base, pulled off an upset by winning theelection by 17 votes to 13. Muthiah thus joined two others in recenttimes, Wankhede and BN Dutt who could not complete three years inoffice.There will be more than a few tears shed for Muthiah. His was adifficult two year period but he weathered the storm in his calm,assured, even dynamic manner, bringing to the post some of his businessacumen as a Chennai based industrialist. He had the image of a players’president and some of the projects like the graded payments scheme, thestarting of the National Cricket Academy, the rotation policy of hostinginternational matches, the appointment of a professional coach andphysio, the enhanced fee for players, and increased match fees and prizemoney for domestic tournaments were certainly positive developments. Inhis own inimitable manner, he emulated his father MA Chidambaram, whowas a popular president from 1960 to 1963.While there is cause to feel bad about Muthiah’s defeat, the positiveaspect is that the top post is now held by a person who has the image ofa dynamic, action oriented administrator.Dalmiya, a Kolkata based businessman, has already proved his skill invarious important posts during the conduct of the Reliance Cup in 1987,the Wills World Cup in 1996 and the Hero Cup in 1993. Perhaps hisbiggest contribution has been the aggressive manner in which the gamehas been marketed. He has been instrumental in selling TV rights andgetting sponsorship fees hiked many times over. Given the fact that thegame had been woefully undersold for years, Dalmiya’s bold approach waswidely welcomed and he brought into administration a refreshinglycontemporary air. The fact that he has been the ICC president is boundto have a positive impact on India’s image internationally.A well known figure in cricketing circles for over two decades now,Dalmiya, like Muthiah, is a suave gentleman who is media savvy and hasthe ability to get things done. He has certainly started his tenure onan encouraging note if his comments at the press conference at theconclusion of the meeting are any indication. One particularly liked theway he described match fixing as the “most heinous crime against one’scountry” while making it clear that there was no question of anyrelaxation of the ban on ‘guilty’ players.There will be few tears shed however for Jaywant Lele’s departure. Knownfor putting his foot in the mouth all too often, Lele lost out narrowlyon getting a fifth term as secretary. But the problem here is that hissuccessor Niranjan Shah was aligned with Muthiah and was none too happywith the latter’s defeat. But as Shah himself said “I will sit with thenew president and work in a cordial atmosphere.” That is the waydemocracy functions and it is good to see the board observe certaindemocratic norms. The picture of a smiling Muthiah congratulatingDalmiya said it all and one only hopes it points to encouraging timesahead for Indian cricket.