NEW DELHI: If there is one matter on which there is less and less “conflict” among industry watchers, it is that the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators, more so CoA chairman Vinod Rai, has been an unmitigated disaster as far as the mandate given – INTERIM governance of Indian cricket affairs.
It has been two years, six months and counting since the CoA was formed. During this period, about the only thing that is clearly evident is that for the “star-struck” Rai, form is everything, substance not so.
On the latest embarrassment that defines the CoA-overseen Indian cricket administration – the Prithvi Shaw doping fiasco – pass the buck is what is in play, IANS reports.
Two-Test old Shaw (19) has been banned from all forms of cricket for a period of eight months after failing a dope test. Much has been written on the subject but the view of former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar – that the “suspension is harsh” – while the BCCI’s anti-doping manager Dr Abhijit Salvi feels the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) should rethink its policies and make the list of prohibited substances more sports specific, is symptomatic of how archaic and lackadaisical is the approach to such a serious matter.
As for the CoA, a member told IANS that the committee was not in the loop on the technicalities at play regarding the issue and it would be unfair for them to comment on the matter since they weren’t aware of the process followed.
“We are not aware of the technicalities that come with these matters. We don’t know the rules and we shouldn’t be commenting on something which we are not aware of. Not sure if we will discuss this in the next CoA meeting either,” the member said.
The CoA was always in the loop though on the fact that Salvi, the legal team and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri had been aware of the proceedings from the word go, as IANS notes. That the unnamed CoA member still feels there is “nothing to discuss” says it all.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Mirror reports that WADA is monitoring the case and will be checking “if proper procedure was followed” by the BCCI in the Prithvi Shaw case.
Don’t wait on the CoA losing any sleep over such a “trifling matter” however. It will be a long wait. Unless the government gets in on the act that is. And current indications are that it will NOT be an uninvolved bystander.
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