Published: Oct 08, 2013, 08:29 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 19, 2014, 07:28 PM (IST)
Sanjay Jagdale (left), who stood in opposition to N Srinivasan’s stand of refusing to step down as BCCI president after the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal broke out, had to eventually quit from his post of the board secretary © IANS
After months of arrests, investigations and prolonged judicial procedures into the IPL 2013 spot-fixing controversy, the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, restored N Srinivasan as the head of BCCI once again. While the court could not do much in terms of restraining the controversial man from assuming his powers, the fact that there weren’t many forces to oppose the man within the board, proves that Indian cricket hasn’t moved an inch in the right direction since the spot-fixing and betting controversy rocked the country in May, writes Prakash Govindasreenivasan.
The thick cob webs of the spot-fixing controversy had some of the who’s who in its tangle. Cricketers, team owners, small-time actors to name a few were all part of the long drawn list by the Delhi Police in what turned out to be a massive scandal in the league that was overflowing with the Board of Control for Cricket in India‘s (BCCI) money. While the advocates of the tournament continued to provide defence, a flimsy one at that, there was enough muck in the cash-rich league to force BCCI head N Srinivasan to step down until all the dirt was cleansed from the game. Or so, most fans and well-wishers hoped.
Srinivasan remained defiant all through even as he reluctantly stepped aside for Jagmohan Dalmiya to fill in as the ‘interim chief.’ Dalmiya made a politician-like return to the helm making big promises about eradicating the malice in the sport. Even as a few pockets of India cricket fans began to grow restless, there still remained hope that the guilty, including the mighty Srinivasan, will be brought to justice. That however, happens only in the movies in India. The few good men like Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke who stood up to Srinivasan and opposed his team of probe panel had to quit from the board. Srinivasan has found better candidates to fill the void and retain his stronghold over all the proceedings in the board.
A lot of experts and leading news channels spent futile hours propagating that Srinivasan, in the wake of the controversy, is expected to get a lot of opposition from within the four walls of the BCCI. The end result was shockingly opposite. After everything that has happened since the IPL 2013, Srinivasan was unrivaled for the post of the BCCI president in the recently-held elections. The Goa Cricket Association that voted for Srinivasan’s re-election has come out and showcased its protest against Srinivasan while Cricket Association of Bihar has continued to wage a lone battle against the BCCI supremo.
Unfortunately, for both parties, their efforts are too little to overthrow the man swollen with power.
From defending himself in the worst situations to protecting his son-in-law with claims that he was merely an ‘enthusiast’, N Srinivasan proves that his audacity has no bounds. His acts despite being in the public eye of storm, proves a strong political backing from within as well as outside of the BCCI. While endless discussions on how keeping him away could be a positive move towards ridding the game off the corrupt practices continued, Srinivasan has returned like a king who never really left his throne.
Even as Indian cricket is growing to unexpected heights under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the board’s activities under a controversial figure are nullifying the on-field efforts. Cricket administration in India will soon be back to square one, the corrupt practices of the select few will be brushed under the carpet once again and more politicians will look to get their share of the pie from the sport in India. For reasons like these and many more unresolved issues, BCCI stands as a living example of how sports and politics is a match made in hell.
(Prakash Govindasreenivasan is a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @PrakashG_89)
