It is time things change and change, in reality, must be accepted as the only constant by those who oppose it. The recent incident involving Virat Kohli is an indication of change that cricketing universe in India has to, willingly or otherwise, swallow. The game has, within the past half century, metamorphosed into a monolith and that has helped make the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) sit on a massive pile of money which enables it to bankroll even the International Cricket Council. Politicians and kin are known to control this rich sport Board simply because it makes excellent business sense.
Observing the present situation, it feels like it is time now that the possibilities intertwined with this sport, such as opening up employment opportunities for the youth, creation of more sports facilities and allied entrepreneurship while encouraging a whole new set of aspiring young players to have an alternative to BCCI. That is the least these new and undiscovered sports people deserve.
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In other words, an almost similar entity should be built that could also, in the not too distant future, be of equal magnitude to the BCCI. It would not be difficult to achieve a similar status if it would involve mid-level corporates which can take up important responsibilities for promotion of the game. At present, if a Chinese Vivo is forced out, a Tata alone is capable enough to step in. This is simply because, for the BCCI, only a particular kind of replacement would be acceptable.
Apart from shaking up the BCCI power structure, formation of an alternative entity will also create wealth which would build competition with BCCI in investments that will encourage the game of Cricket even more. Unfortunately the BCCI, although such a super prosperous organization, is presently not known to invest in building any cricket infrastructure worth mentioning although it has mostly enjoyed powerful government access throughout its lifetime.
When talking of money power, coming to think of it, no one can stop a Mukesh Ambani from backing and helping install a similar Board, thus making the environment of cricket more democratic, equitable and relaxed.
The new entity could utilize a set of selectors which may also help discover new brilliance that may otherwise go to waste. Both these bodies could, as fallout of a healthy competition, offer benefits to sportsperson unheard of currently.
Democracy implies multiple choices. Why should this nationally important, (but personally extremely dull for me), game be allowed to degenerate into some few individuals’ fiefdoms? The way Kohli was pushed out of his captaincy by circumstances created by the powerful authorities of BCCI smacks of dictatorial arrogance. It is an unprofessional approach to the spirit of sports.
Consider the plight of aspiring players. If, by terrible luck, a talented player falls foul of any senior at BCCI, his future is blocked. As is usual in most fields in India, there exists no redressal system in the world of Indian cricket. Not only for new aspiring players, but even for cricket superstars like Virat Kohli, the recent events demonstrated, there is no scope for appeal.
