With this, the man who chaired the Indian selection committee that made Mohammad Azharuddin the national cricket captain now has the toughest sporting job in the country. And never, since the days of the Maharajah of Baroda, Fatehsinh Rao Gaikwad who presided over the board way back in the 1963 to 1966 period has a man with such vast cricketing knowledge been made president of the BCCI. Dungarpur has actually played cricket with great distinction, and at virtually the top level.
Dungarpur takes over from the Bindra-Dalmiya combine which catapulted Indian cricket into a new era of prosperity with their marketing skills. Dungarpur will not not only have to maintain this progress, but also to improve on it. With Dalmiya, who remains the secretary of the board, to provide the continuity, the new mix of cricketing and marketing savvy should make for the greater good of Indian cricket.
Cricketers at all levels will now have a president who is easily approachable and who will understand their problems. So here's to a new president, and the prospect of an exciting and fruitful term of office.
One of the most heartening decisions taken by the BCCI at their last meeting is the recognition of those who have represented their states in the Ranji Trophy. For far too long has the state of first class cricketers been totally neglected. Cricketers who have served their respective states diligently and with distinction will now receive some reward. Even though the rewards may not sound like much when compared to the megabuck deals today's cricketers get, the gesture is definitely worthy of appreciation, as a step in the right direction.
However, two points need to be addressed to the new president, who I am sure will review the situation and take remedial measures. One, the families of deceased Ranji cricketers should be included in the scheme, and no limitation should be imposed on those who have played less than 10 matches. After all, when the board is spending something in the vicinity of Rs 25 million, the odd Rs 100,000 here or there should not make much of a difference.
Another interesting decision of the Board was the one to not renew Sandeep Patil's contract beyond the stipulated one year period. Patil's exit was on the cards, as his stint as cricket coach could hardly be termed successful. He was unable to bring about cohesiveness in the team, and there seemed a singular lack of direction and motivation. This was compounded by the lack of unity in the team management, particularly in the Navjot Sidhu episode in England.
Although Patil does have great cricketing skills and has managed junior teams with a great degree of success, he was unable to cope with the larger responsibility of managing a senior side with studded with stars all boasting monumental egos. A flamboyant personality himself, he could not step into the role of senior statesman and counsellor. And when the chips were down, Patil lacked the ability to raise the sagging morale of the team.
The choice of Madan Lal in Patil's place as cricket coach is welcome, as Madan brings with him a pragmatic and down to earth approach to his new assignment. He has in the recent past successful- ly coached the junior India squad and it will be a test of his mental toughness for him to rejuvenate a side which has been at the receiving end in both Sri Lanka and Canada.
Heading the Indian brains trust with Madan is the side's new skipper, Sachin Tendulkar, and it will be Madan's first priority to provide Sachin with the much-needed impetus. To this end, Madan will have to work on earning the confidence and respect of senior members of the side, such as Mohammad Azharuddin, and to inculcate a sense of unity in the entire team.
Tendulkar is by nature an aggressive and higly self-confident young man and he will require the stabilising influence that the new coach will bring. Madan is a gutsy, no nonsense type who has shown his fighting qualities at times of crisis. And it is this quality that the Indian team has the most need of, as it prepares to take on two of the strongest teams in international cricket over a one-day series.
The national selection committee, nominated by the BCCI under its new president, boasts two new faces. While bidding a fond fairwell to former chairman G R Vishwanath and national selector Anshuman Gaikwad, it is time to extend a hearty welcome to Ramakant Desai and Anshuman Gaikwad, the incoming members.
Desai - ``Tiny'', as he was affectionately known - was one of India's most successful pace bowlers, and one who is likely to bring in the values of transparency and directness into the functioning of the committee. He is no sufferer of fools, and with Yadav should keep things in perspective. Yadav himself has been one of our most successful spinners in the recent past, and the one who filled the void left by the exit, almost at the same time, of the famous quartet of Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, Bedi and Venkatraghavan. Having himself faced the vicissitudes of the selectorial process, Yadav should bring to his job a certain level-headedness.
The elevation of Dungarpur to the top post in the BCCI should encourage more former cricketers to vie for top posts in their respective states, and at the national level. The time seems ripe for cricketers to get into administration. To my mind, Indian cricket is on the verge of a revolution.
Out go the bureaucrats, here come the cricketers! - that seems pretty much the motto of the times.