Dalmiya could prove a worthy successor
The AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has always attracted considerable attention all over the country
Partab Ramchand
03-Oct-2001
The AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has always
attracted considerable attention all over the country. Weeks before the
meeting, the battle lines are drawn and strategies and counter
strategies are planned in a manner that would be the envy of an army
general.
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. |
But even given this background, the interest in the weekend's meeting of
the BCCI at Chennai was perhaps at an all time high. Chief attention
centered around the high profile contest between the incumbent AC
Muthiah and the challenger Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former president of the
International Cricket Council, who interestingly had served earlier as
the BCCI secretary. Muthiah had been elected to the post in 1999 and was
expected to win a third term, given his impressive record in tackling
among other problems, the match fixing issue. But Dalmiya, a shrewd
administrator with a strong base, pulled off an upset by winning the
election by 17 votes to 13. Muthiah thus joined two others in recent
times, Wankhede and BN Dutt who could not complete three years in
office.
There will be more than a few tears shed for Muthiah. His was a
difficult two year period but he weathered the storm in his calm,
assured, even dynamic manner, bringing to the post some of his business
acumen as a Chennai based industrialist. He had the image of a players'
president and some of the projects like the graded payments scheme, the
starting of the National Cricket Academy, the rotation policy of hosting
international matches, the appointment of a professional coach and
physio, the enhanced fee for players, and increased match fees and prize
money for domestic tournaments were certainly positive developments. In
his own inimitable manner, he emulated his father MA Chidambaram, who
was a popular president from 1960 to 1963.
While there is cause to feel bad about Muthiah's defeat, the positive
aspect is that the top post is now held by a person who has the image of
a dynamic, action oriented administrator.
Dalmiya, a Kolkata based businessman, has already proved his skill in
various important posts during the conduct of the Reliance Cup in 1987,
the Wills World Cup in 1996 and the Hero Cup in 1993. Perhaps his
biggest contribution has been the aggressive manner in which the game
has been marketed. He has been instrumental in selling TV rights and
getting sponsorship fees hiked many times over. Given the fact that the
game had been woefully undersold for years, Dalmiya's bold approach was
widely welcomed and he brought into administration a refreshingly
contemporary air. The fact that he has been the ICC president is bound
to 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 has
the ability to get things done. 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.
There will be few tears shed however for Jaywant Lele's departure. Known
for putting his foot in the mouth all too often, Lele lost out narrowly
on getting a fifth term as secretary. But the problem here is that his
successor Niranjan Shah was aligned with Muthiah and was none too happy
with the latter's defeat. But as Shah himself said "I will sit with the
new president and work in a cordial atmosphere." That is the way
democracy functions and it is good to see the board observe certain
democratic norms. The picture of a smiling Muthiah congratulating
Dalmiya said it all and one only hopes it points to encouraging times
ahead for Indian cricket.