Sorry Colonel But You Erred

Why is it so that logic is often the first casualty whenever you see something happening in Indian cricket? Weird are the ways BCCI function, no question about that. But to give devils -- or devils in this case -- its due, Dilip Vengsarkar & Co had done a reasonably well job when it came to team selection!

Then all of a sudden, why did the Colonel lose his sanity, tore apart the list of probables he himself had prepared a few days earlier and brought back a certain Virender Sehwag out of nowhere and for no obvious reasons? Or is it that his stand-off with the Board on writing columns has robbed him off his common sense?

Maybe Sehwag would come good Down Under, maybe he won’t. To be honest, I have my doubts. Sorry Colonel, but I think gremlins have crept into the machine. At a time when domestic trundlers continue to harass him on the most docile of tracks under the Sun, you have to be outrageously optimistic to expect him to come good in Australia.

But, whether he shines or flops, my primary objection is with the way he has been pitchforked out of nowhere. If you want to fill the Australia-bound plane with whoever you deem good enough, why this farce of announcing a long list of probables beforehand?

Eerily, this utter disregard to a system put in place by themselves seems in vogue in BCCI these days. Remember how they sought applications from all and sundry for the coach’s job only to announce later that Graham Ford and John Emburey have been invited for interview?

Again, hours before Gary Kirsten arrived in Delhi for his interview, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah told – he told yours truly in a city hotel– that the Board would zero in only on those names who had applied for the job. No prize for guessing that Kirsten was NOT among the applicants and see he’s set to take over the coaching reins!

My heart bleeds for the like of Aakash Chopra. Runs have been flowing from his blade and many still fondly remember how he thwarted the Oz attack at their den. Compare it to Sehwag’s scores in domestic matches since he was dropped -- 16, 0, 9, 32 and 9.

Did Colonel showed the courtesy to reach out for his cell and make a call to Aakash and tell him sorry? My fear, he did not.

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Chaos, Confusion rule supreme in BCCI meeting

I was among the hordes or heard – depending how you perceive the mediamen – journalists who were stationed in a Delhi hotel to cover Tuesday’s BCCI Working Committee meeting.

You some times can’t help but be sadistic. Graham Ford, have no doubt, proved a chicken-heart. One of the sources informed Ford was given 20 per cent more than what he demanded, was happy with one-year contract and the terms and conditions.

“He then said he needs to consult his current employer, Kent. We asked whether it was a matter of ‘if’ or ‘when’ he can join and Ford said ‘when’. BCCI Treasurer N Srinivasan later told in the press conference.

But what scared away Ford is something a gobsmacked BCCI could not fathom.

BCCI thrives in a world that is chaos and the creation never follows. There was no scheduled time for a press briefing and when they eventually opened the door for the briefing, it was mad rash and a lady journalist almost got trampled in the near-stampede.

After waiting for more than five hours, the questions were naturally tinged with extra dose of hostility and aggression. The lady scribe was determined to make Srinivasan admit Ford’s snub was a slap across BCCI’s face. Srinivasan eventually snapped at one point and retorted “I’m not on a trial here Ma’m.”

The provocation, however, came from Raj Singh Dungarpur, who ensured his share of limelight with an impromptu just outside the toilet.

“Indian cricketer never had a greater embarrassment,” he said, and said he even tried to persuade John Wright for a second stint, which the affable Kiwi politely declined.

Every foreigner in the eyeshot became a possible coach and at some point, one journalist hopped into the hotel elevator with a slightly limping foreigner to find out if he had anything to do with cricket. The foreigner turned out India’s soccer coach Bob Houghton! He inquired what was going on and told that BCCI was headhunting for a coach, he said, “Cricket is a craze in the country. No wonder, half the country seems here.”

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Is Ford’s appointment a Pawar-ploy to grab ICC top job?

Graham Ford is all set to take over as the new Team India coach and he is way ahead of John Emburey as far as coaching credential is concerned. And to sceptic eyes, Ford’s appointment won’t be the end of the ongoing high-voltage drama, but just part of a bigger plot.

The growing notion that Ford would be chosen because BCCI President Sharad Pawar desperately seeks South Africa’s vote to become the ICC President. The megalomaniac in Pawar has never tried to hide his unabashed love for power and these days, he’s doing everything to please the Protea cricket board for reasons too obvious.

After Percy Sonn’s death, Pawar could have assumed the ICC top job but he hinted that he was not game for a stop-gap role. Instead, he suggested a South Africa should get the job. Ray Mali, the Cricket South Africa chief, eventually succeeded Sonn.

"The point that weighs in Ford's favour was that Pawar requires South Africa's vote to become the next International Cricket Council president (ICC)," a BCCI source was quoted as saying in a media report.

Now, this is one can only expect in India. Team India’s reputation, the emotion of its umpteen die-hard fans, everything is hit for a six just to ensure that a power-hungry official gets the post he craves for.

Ford has an impressive credential, no doubt about that. But Dav Whatmore’s was even better. We still don’t know why BCCI dangled the carrot before ditching him at the eleventh hour. Things are not looking bright with Indian cricket and it’s really tough not to be a cynic.

Image: The Hindu