The Indian players must not give in to the pressure of ICC to sign the players' contracts for the Champions Trophy. The fact that the other countries may have signed due to political or monetary pressures, and their boards are now ganging up against the Indians, is not justification enough for the Indians to sign. The Indian players took a principled stand which was absolutely correct, against behaviour by ICC which was unethical and unprecedented. They must not back down now. Ambush-marketing clauses are meant to protect the interests of event sponsors, who don't want their association with the event to be sabotaged, as it were, by a rival company or brand implying a similar association with the event. It is common for event organisers, as ICC is in this case, to want to stop this. The event belongs to them - however, the players don't. Attempting to restrain the players from all endorsements with rivals of event sponsors, even if they claim no association with the event itself, amounts to a restraint of trade. It is unethical.

If the Indians give in now, they will effectively have set a precedent, and future generations of cricketers will find it difficult to fight ICC on this issue. The issue goes beyond the jingoistic element ICC has introduced into it – of country v money – and of logistical issues like why the contract was presented to the Indians so late in the day. Even if it had been shown to them two years earlier, they should still have taken the stand they are taking now. The contract itself is wrong.

The kind of compromise ICC is offering now – sign the Champions Trophy contract and forthcoming contracts will be renegotiated – is untenable. If the Indians sign the contract now and play in this event – leaving aside the fact that they will be in conflict with their endorsement contracts if they do so – ICC will certainly bully them into signing a similar one for the World Cup on the basis of this precedent, and the Indians will be vulnerable, as that event will be too big to miss.

For the sake of the principles concerned, the Indians must hold firm now, and call ICC's bluff. It is almost certain that Sony Entertainment Television, who have the telecast rights for ICC events, will realise the impact of the absence of the star Indians on viewership, and will force a renegotiation where the unfair clauses are modified. Jagmohan Dalmiya is a master of such realpolitik, but it is doubtful that he will lead the way, considering that the contract in dispute was drafted during his reign as ICC chairman. The Indian players will have to fight their own battle.

If they do not hold firm now, the game itself, and future generations of players, will be the losers.

Amit Varma is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

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