Bored of Cricket Control in India (BCCI)

Amid the whole cacophony currently engulfing the country concerning the Jan Lokpal Bill, the Indian cricket team has achieved new depths in the sport's history, prompting some to joke that the team will not win until the bill is passed. From being world no. 1 in April to losing in a such a convincing manner; that fans have begun doubting whether we were ever good enough to be the best team in the sport.

The way this sport is run is not very different from the way our governments function. We had a good thing and we milked it as much as we could for commercial gains. The result of this greed driven madness is for everybody to see. Indeed, the very people who are responsible for the mis-management in our political systems are the same people who run and influence the BCCI. It is not a coincidence that the country much like the sport has achieved, whatever it has, because of the efforts of very determined individuals, in spite of the system in place. The moment politicians step in, things begin to go awry. Maybe we should have a cricket specific Jan Lok-ball Bill!

In line with the sickness that plagues our politicians that renders them blind to realities of life, the reasons behind our cricket team's dismal performance are being overlooked too. The BCCI through its selectors and paid commentators has been trying to paint a picture very different from what journos and fans see and acknowledge. The current team IS an overworked lot. They have been playing way too much cricket without any significant rest period between international tours. Ravi Shastri in his article yesterday has said that anyone with foresight will be able to see that the amount of cricket played is only going to increase (seriously, how can he expect us to believe he is not a stooge?).  But that is the exact opposite of what needs to be done.

Such defensive reactions are nothing but an excuse to mask their failure as administrators and a dangerous lack of concern for the sport. It is time we root out such elements from the BCCI; which would include 99% of all of them. What business do people like Sharad Pawar, Rajiv Shukla, N. Srinavasan, Mr. Amin, Arun Jaitley have in running the sport? They do not have Rahul Dravid or Sachin on the boards of their political parties advising them on election strategies or governance. Why the double standards? Why cannot we have MBAs from IIMs or the many able retired cricketers manage the sport, as common sense points to such a setup? Our politicians have an insatiable hunger for power and influence and it is time that they are cut to size and shunted out of all sports' administrations.

A sport like cricket, where we have a team capable of performing well at the international level, has been run to the ground. How are we ever going to ever improve our skills across other not-so-rich sports? It is time. The BCCI needs to be dissolved. We need a fresh start. Otherwise this country's favorite sport will become a source of its biggest disappointment.