Who killed Indian cricket?

Aniruddha Raje

Wake up guys. Indian cricket is dead. We have been saying this for a while now but now I have proof in the form of a Vision Statement. If the Chandrachud report only gave you the suspicion that someone has killed Indian cricket, then the Vision Statement, produced by the Board, is an eye witness account of the murder.

This kind of document is enough to get me fired from my job. But these wise men from the BCCI have the nerve to submit this to the Government of India. Do these guys even know what a Vision Statement is? If I were the sports minister, I would send back a letter to the BCCI expressing my desire to have the game administered by the government and dissolve the BCCI 'soon thereafter'.

Not only is the report full of garbage but also has some blatant lies. For example, in which form of cricket is India ranked No.4? The aim of achieving the No. 1 status is fine, but how are they going to get there? And read this 'Future Goal' ... To ensure that India remains the top 3 team of the world in the next 5 years... In which world are these morons living in? The world in which I stay, the only country that India is better than is Bangladesh. If morons live in a world where India is No. 3, I would love to convert it into one.

As far as I am concerned, the only way Indian cricket is going to survive is by dissolving the BCCI. And by survival I mean survive and do reasonably well. Sure Indian cricket will continue to survive even with these bozos running the game but it's not going to take us anywhere. Indian cricket is down in the dumps but to revive it is not a mission impossible. A committed group of people with common sense, integrity and pride is all what it is needed.

We talk about reviving the domestic circuit, but tell me, if the selection committee sticks to rewarding performances in domestic cricket, how long is it going to take before domestic cricket is taken seriously again. Performance in Ranji Trophy matches must be rewarded, exceptional performances should earn a player a place in the national side. Period. Even if that means Kumble or Tendulkar has to serve drinks. Kambli scores an emotionally charged century in the Ranji Trophy finals just days after the death of his mother. And what does he get in return? Not a thing. When someone scores a century in such emotionally troubled times, it tells you a lot about the man's mental strength. It goes above such things as quotas and zonal preferences.

Secondly even though it is unfair to put players in the 'Guilty until proven innocent' situation, people like Kapil, Azhar and Jadeja simply have to go. It's unfortunate that I am saying this, but the people responsible for creating this situation is the BCCI and the players themselves. If I were in Azhar's shoes and if I were innocent, I would not have played in some nonsensical match at The Oval. I would have rushed back on hearing about the IT raids and put all my efforts to prove to the world that I am innocent. For their part the BCCI has done all it can to shield it's players. India needs a team of clean cricketers. Clean beyond even the slightest of doubts.

It may seem a bit old fashioned, but the vision for the future of Indian cricket should stress not on winning but on playing clean cricket. Stress on building a team of committed cricketers. Stress on creating an environment which produces cricketers who make us proud even in defeat.

In the end, the question remains: Who killed Indian cricket? There is growing evidence that the BCCI did.

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