THIS past week there have been post mortems and then there have been some more post mortems. All following India’s 4-0 Test whitewash in England.
Some have hit the mark, some have missed it. But in the end, everybody has provided some solutions of their own.
But it is unlikely any of that is going to be taken on board as the Board members are themselves busy trying to jostle for honorary, albeit archaic posts, like secretary, joint-secretary etc. In a world where New Zealand and Australia are jostling over a full-time paid CEO for World Cup 2015, BCCI is stuck in a time warp with this honorary business.
It is stuck in the pre-1947 zamindaars/maharajahs/nawabs attitude which controlled cricket in India and indeed were driven by love for the sport.
That format ensured that players were also in awe of the establishment and the Board called the shots.
You would have expected that in 21st century, as the rest of the world wakes up to new India in every other sphere, the BCCI would change. In fact if anything the BCCI has regressed further.
The biggest example of this regression is in the way the BCCI deals with the men who drive the sport, the players.
They are flogged, herded onto a cricket field and made to play every week. One free week on the calendar is seen as a wasted opportunity.
But the Board itself is not alone to be blamed, the players too are equally at fault. They have failed to raise a collective voice. In fact except the seniors, there is no voice in Team India.
In a country where we fight for the supremacy of democracy, maybe the Indian cricket team and the BCCI could be a good starting point.
The senior Indian players get into a huddle with the BCCI get their pound of flesh and off we go to Timbucktoo for the next ODI or T20, and if you so insist a Test match as an afterthought.
This has been the story of Indian cricket over the last 75 years. The BCCI mandarins have changed hands from thezamindaars/maharajahs/nawabs of pre-1947 to the present day politicos, businessmen and dealers.
As for the players, they continue to be a tool in the hands of the BCCI. In every other country, there is a Professional Players Association which is run by a paid full-time CEO. This body deals with the national board, decides on schedules, payments etc and then finally it becomes a reality.
In India three attempts at Players Association have failed because the BCCI has managed to do what the British did, ‘divide and rule’. In the 1970s, when Bishen Singh Bedi rose up in arms, the board made tactical moves and the Association was shelved.
In 1989 when six Indian players were banned for playing in USA, the Board appeared to be in control before the Supreme Court struck down the orders. What followed was a strong Indian Players Association being formed. But then again just before they left for Pakistan that year, the players backed down following a Board directive. Result: Mohinder Amarnath ended his career and then arrived a certain Sachin Tendulkar.
Years later in 2002, this time the senior Indian players formed the Indian Cricket Players Association (ICPA) but that too because they were affected by ICC’s contracts clause. But once it was solved, the ICPA died a slow death.
Today none of the office-bearers of ICPA talk about the body.
To their credit, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid have been the two most selfless senior pros to take up the cause of their fellow players. For seven years from 1997-2004 Kumble first and then joined in by Dravid, were involved in a rollercoaster negotiations with the BCCI to launch the first lot of central contracts.
The players were to be put on annual contracts to secure their future. But the BCCI tried to slow things down, even managed to create a rift between the seniors and juniors, before it was settled in 2004.
The contracts meant players became BCCI employees and were to be taken care of by them. Dravid and Kumble also managed to eke out 26 per cent of the BCCI revenue as share for all international, first-class and junior players.
This was a victory of sorts. But since the duo slowly receded from the centrestage nothing much happened thereafter. We had around 200 young and has been cricketers being banned for joining ICL but none of the senior pros spoke out.
BCCI on its part has played its cards well over the years, taking care of the interests of key senior players, especially since the Saurav Ganguly era. They have fought for them in the ICC over contracts, umpires, referees and even on the cause of WADA clauses. The Board have also gone according to the wishes of the senior players in naming overseas coaches.
So the senior players have nothing but deference in their mind when it comes to BCCI. The feudal mentality has meant that dissent is rejected. So juniors play in the fear of being vilified and the seniors in the fear of losing out on their perks.
In the end cricket may be a team sport, but a player in India is on his own. Don’t blame the player if he is looking to secure himself first rather than look at the grammar of the sport.
In recent times the players have united on only one cause, in getting a raise from Rs 20 million to Rs 30 mmillion as their bonus money for winning the World Cup.
Every other time the BCCI backroom boys call the shots and watch as tired bodies wilt under pressure.
PS: For all the brickbats that Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar received, just an afterthought. The Board also pays monthly pension of Rs 60,000 to every former player who has played for India or for any first-class team in the country. Is there a conflict of interest there as well?
This column is penned by an Industry Veteran who chooses to remain anonymous for reasons that it would compromise his corporate position if he were to reveal his identity. The only remit that SportzPower has given The Insider is this – that the commentary should have no compromise on fact and that the effort should be directed towards the betterment of sport and the institutions that represent sport.
