When Mohinder Amarnath proposed a new captain in place of M.S. Dhoni, he had argued a cricketing case. The captain, in his opinion, did not deserve a place in the team on merit.
The BCCI President, N. Srinivasan, differed and overruled the move to displace Dhoni from the captain’s post. Dhoni stayed. Amarnath lost his job.
The discerning people were hardly surprised because in a player-administrator conflict, it is the latter who mostly wins in India’s cricket set up.
The timing was perfect. Amarnath had withheld his views after being removed from the National selection panel and came out firing to make a strong statement on the role played by the Board President.
Amarnath had always talked about Board members trying to influence the selectors but in this case Srinivasan was within his rights to veto the proposal to remove Dhoni.
As Board President, Srinivasan had the authority to overrule the selectors’ decision. It is normal protocol for the Board President to clear every team picked by the selectors. It is rare that a change is suggested by the Board.
Srinivasan stood by Dhoni obviously to support the player who had won the 2011 World Cup at home.
To Amarnath’s credit, he had argued his case firmly on cricketing grounds.
“Dhoni was defensive, allowing things to drift and not leading from the front.
“His poor form was affecting his captaincy and the overall confidence of the team,” said Amarnath, who was convinced Virat Kohli was the best man for the job.
A former cricketer pointed out that this was a different situation and demanded a different treatment.
The selectors, as Amarnath insisted, were united in having a change at the helm.
It is another matter that K. Srikkanth, Chairman of the selection committee, has steadfastly refused to divulge details of what transpired among his colleagues.
Gag on selectors
The selectors, bound by the Board’s contract, are not permitted to speak to the media. But Amarnath had other ideas.
In the past former BCCI national selector Kishan Rungta had mooted the idea of selection meeting being recorded.
“Let there be a telecast of selection meetings so that people know how the team is being selected,” he had suggested the best way to bring in transparency to the job.
The Board’s decision to have paid selectors and gag them from speaking to the media has created a unique situation. Opportunities for selectors clarifying their decisions have been lost.
Countries such as Australia give their chief selectors a chance to explain decisions. In this case, Srikkanth was happy to stay silent, obviously on the instructions of the Board.
A few days before attending his final meeting (to pick the North Zone team for Duleep Trophy) Amarnath had made an appearance on a television channel and even expressed his views on the Indian team.
Not much was said on the issue of Amarnath making a media appearance because India was only playing a friendly fixture.
The Board was actually waiting to strike. It happened at the Board’s Annual General Body Meeting where Amaranth was removed after a year in office.
Former Test captain Bishan Singh Bedi had termed Amarnath’s sacking “unfortunate” and hit out at Srinivasan’s “omnipotence.”
Many had questioned Srikkanth’s role as a brand ambassador/consultant for Chennai Super Kings when he was a National selector.
Srikkanth served his period by opting to keep his views to himself. Ironically, Srikkanth returned as a media expert soon after his term was over and has been critical of Dhoni’s decisions during the current England series.
Paying the price
Amarnath clearly paid the price for being outspoken and taking on the Board President.
Amarnath’s sacking got his contemporaries to speak out in his favour. However, they were reportedly told to refrain by the Board.
That, however, did not stop Bedi from slamming the Board. “North Zone lost a golden opportunity to have its first ever chairman of selectors.
“Besides, look at the dignity and experience he would have brought in to the committee.”
The last has obviously not been heard in this episode as Amarnath promises to go the distance in his fight for cricketers’ respect.
Keywords: Mohinder Amarnath, Dhoni, BCCI, N. Srinivasan
Mr.Srinivasan stood and will stand by Dhoni.Obviously not to support the player who had won the 2011 World Cup at home but to save the marketing potential of his team Chennai Super Kings and its captain cum ICON player. And video recording of BCCI meetings? Dont joke! BCCI's interest on the new sports bill and RTI is well known. The stand taken on sending the team to Commonwealth games, Hawk eye technology and UDRS all tells the true story. Initial stand taken on the 20-20 format is also very well known.
K Srikanth and Kiran More were puppets of the business magnets dictating the BCCI. In this aspect Kudos to Jimmy and Kapil!
Srinivasan's conflict of interest as owner of Chennai superkings and
BCCI chief was examined in the abstract earlier. Now that it has taken
concrete form with regard to Dhoni's captaincy and Srikant's connections
with Chennai superkings a re-examination of the issue is called for.
I am amused by Bedi's reaction : North Zone lost a golden
opportunity..When will we Indians stop thinking North, South, East, West
and think of India as one country??
I am only a sports lover and still raw with the game of cricket. But we hear that Cricket is a gentlemens' game and hence the selectors should behave like a gentleman.
If the selectors could find the solution to the current debacle of the INDIAN cricket, own up the cricketers faults, only then people will respect them despite losses in the series.
There is too much pressure on cricket captains. They have to manage strategy on the field and still produce runs or take wickets. Instead, as in baseball, there should be a coach who does not play but call all the shots such as who is going to bowl from the sidelines. Typically this would be a former cricketer.
Crony capitalism haunts not only politics but also every field including cricket. People like
Srinivasan are in-charge of a national game like cricket is a tragedy for India. That is why the
captain who was the toast of the cricket fans calls them Tom, Dick and Harry. Well the
cricket crazy fans need to understand that they just pay the bills, the rules are set by
Srinivasans of India.
It is well known that the Indian team is not performing well and the BCCI often functions in a high handed manner. However, let us not lose sight of the fact that Amarnath has thrown decency to the winds by making closed door discussions public. Is there any organization in the world that allows this? And why did Amarnath pick on Dhoni? As a selector, how does he defend the elevation of Kohli as vice captain after just a single series in Australia?Dhoni has performed relatively better than Kohli even as a batsman in this series. I think Amarnath is feeling bitter about his exclusion from the selection committee. After waiting for months there was no need to go public just days before the Nagpur test with the team desperately trying to level the series. The timing of his revelations shows he does not really care about Indian cricket.
It's a very peculiar situation that the BCCI president also owns an
IPL team and the earlier chief of selectors is also the brand
ambassador of that same team ! Whatever the constitution might say
Srinivasan will always be open to charges of favouritism. I do not
agree that Srinivasan was backing Dhoni because of the World Cup
victory.He was backing Dhoni because he leads Chennai Super Kings, and
it makes perfect commercial sense for Srinivasan to keep Dhoni happy
so that the golden goose CSK keeps laying those eggs. If India wins or
loses, makes no difference to Srinivasan in monetary terms. Suffice it
to say that such governance issues have been raised in all sports
bodies, finally leading to the International Olympic Association to
de-recognise our national Olympic body. But we simply do not have the
moral fibre to change our ways.
All said, It has to be accepted that there is what is called privacy for what the members said in the Selection Committees, of cricket or any other.It is in the interests of the members Committee that they can air their views in the Committe without fear of being quoted outside to the TV channels and media the very next moment.Plainly, the BCCI Chairman was within his rights in over-ruling the Selection Committee.It is unfair to say that, at the moment, Dhoni is unfit to be a captain.It has become a habit with "experts' to extoll the players skyhigh if they do well and call for the heads of players if they fail during a bad patch. It is so whether it is cricket or tennis.
well. when sports is linked with business exclusively in india nobody bothered about the outcome. only the corporates and the politicians decide who will play and who will not.Always Nation's pride is put at the back seat.like everyone we can pray the Almighty to change the situation
My simple question is,why a team belonging to a club,BCCI is tauted as the team representing India?Is the cricket team a body of Sports Ministry of the Government of India?Why they were allowed to use tri-colours,a symbol of Indian National flag?
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