Until yesterday, John Wright and Andrew Leipus, the Indian coach and physio, could have been forgiven for thinking Satan resides in Kolkata. Two days before Christmas, Satan turned into Santa. Both Wright and Leipus will continue to be honorary Indian citizens now that Jagmohan Dalmiya has extended their contracts with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to 2003. The yes to continuity comes with a Santa clause: accountability. "I want the players to be accountable, so also the coach, the physio and the selectors," Dalmiya thundered. The message comes clear: immunity is the prerogative and privilege of administrators, not lesser mortals.

The retention of Wright and Leipus is a victory for the players. Dalmiya's native intelligence told him it's best that player power remains assumed than be allowed to generate into open rebellion. Taking on the ICC and the ECB may seem humungous, but he had then an emotional nation on his side. Dalmiya learnt a lesson from that imbroglio: Tendulkar's silence was gospel truth then in the ball-tampering case; now The God of Big Things openly came in support of Wright. As did Sourav Ganguly before him. And there was Anil Kumble, in his moment of glory in the Bangalore Test, extolling Leipus before live TV cameras. There was tact, but not much diplomacy in the statements of Tendulkar, Ganguly and Kumble considering that Dalmiya's decision to sack Wright and Leipus was as secretive as George Bush's dictats to get Osama bin Laden: dead or alive.

Like a marriage, any relationship needs time to evolve, before mutual trust, respect and acceptance are developed. As foreigners, Wright and Leipus needed that much more time to understand the Indian culture and psyche and, most importantly, the complex power struggle within the BCCI. The hard work had being done and the players appreciated that – like never before. Their relationship was on strong grounds; it's the relatives who they were struggling to get on with.

Given Dalmiya's notorious preference for home-grown talent, Santa's sledge could still turn into a sledgehammer. The road ahead is not going to be milk and honey for Wright or Leipus.

Dalmiya's missive to Wright and Leipus in the middle of India's tour of South Africa is a barometer of both his mood and his methods. They were unlikely to be sacked mid-tour, so why the unholy hurry? The stench of a hidden agenda overwhelmed the olfactory nerves even before Wright and Leipus could respond. Dalmiya's conclave with them at Delhi, before the start of the English tour, heightened the pressure games, and even before the start of the second Test at Ahmedabad anybody and nobody in Indian cricket knew that the sack was coming with the presence of Mohinder Amarnath at Mohali and Ahmedabad seen as reckees before taking over from Wright.

Wright and Leipus will have to produce results. That's the only way they can stay clear of the games played by Dalmiya. For them to suceed, they will need the players to bring about historical and physiological transformation. If they succeed against these odds, Wright and Leipus will stay, Indian cricket will emerge winners – and so will Dalmiya, who would like the world to to believe that it was his threat which brought about the miracle. If the players fail, Wright and Leipus go, Indian cricket will be where it is – and Dalmya will emerge winner, again. He will now get a chance to say, `I told you so,' and get his men to take positions.

The winner takes it all.

H Natarajan is a staff writer with Wisden.com India

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