BCCI panel ignored KohliKumble ‘rift’, conflict issue: Guha
NEWDELHI: Historian Ramachandra Guha has said he was forced to resign from the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to oversee BCCI reforms as the panel had not acted in many issues he had pointed out, including the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli row.
In a letter addressed to CoA head, Vinod Rai, Guha said: “Sunil Gavaskar is head of a company which represents Indian cricketers while commenting on those cricketers as part of the BCCI TV commentary panel. This is a clear conflict of interest. Either he must step down/withdraw himself from PMG completely or stop being a commentator for BCCI.”
Guha said: “Unfortunately, this superstar syndrome has distorted the system of Indian team contracts. As you will recall, I had pointed out that awarding (MS) Dhoni an ‘A’ contract when he had explicitly ruled himself out from all Tests was indefensible on cricketing grounds, and sends absolutely the wrong message”.
Indian cricket officials love to set off fires around them. But the latest ‘leakgate’ that has ignited differences between skipper Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble could engulf them if holders India are too distracted and lose to Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston on Sunday. Journalists who have spent hours in hotel lobbies in the past awaiting some driblet of news from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) meetings will be all too familiar of cricket bosses stoking the fire and steering them in a direction that ends in their favour. Still, for sheer poor timing nothing can match the current crisis stoked on the eve of a major tournament, built through comments from unnamed cricket Board officials that the India skipper is reluctant to work with Kumble, though the former skipper and country’s leading Test bowler is only a year into his job and has presided over mostly wins.
FRESH MUDDLE
Ramachandra Guha, the cricket historian and author, has only added to the muddle through his ill-timed listing of all that the four-member Committee of Administrators from which he quit didn’t take on board to reform the cricket Board.
The timing of his resignation suggests the Kumble affair has influenced his decision. And until one of the prime characters involved speak out, one can only go by what Kumble has achieved so far as coach.
There seems to be feverish activity around the team in Birmingham, 48 hours before the Pakistan game when the Indian brains trust should be focused entirely on tactics.
Cricket Advisory Committee members Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly reportedly seeking the team’s feedback on Kumble, it appears one clumsy effort to handle the crisis.
CHAPPELL-GANGULY II?
BCCI officials have already damaged the institution’s image through leaks on how Kumble has upset many players, raising the Greg Chappell versus Sourav Ganguly saga all over again.
The CoA, appointed in January, is struggling to fix the administrative structure and rid those who are either ineligible or face conflict of interest issues.
Guha has in an exhaustive letter to the CoA chief, Vinod Rai, said why he has resigned, and raised concerns that players having a say in the coach’s appointment would give rise to ‘a superstar culture gone berserk’.
Guha has raised many valid issues. But not pushing the CoA to act on it, and instead putting it out in the public domain, he may have eroded the credibility of the forum he was a part of.
Virat Kohli has every right to flag issues he feels can hurt the team. However, the manner in which the issue is dominating the start of India’s fresh season, and on the eve of a major event, will only give rise to fresh criticism of his prima donna behaviour.
Indian cricket has not had a bigger power than Sachin Tendulkar. But even during his lowest moments --- when he gave up captaincy after the second stint and had issues with Chappell --he never indulged in power games that could have hurt the team and image of Indian cricket.