New Delhi
The Indian cricket board is bothered about its image more than the development of the sport or the promotion of players. It wants to project itself as a modern cricket power with a feudal mindset.
If the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) thinks it is modern and a superpower, then it should first drop the world "control" and with it the acronym.
Like the boards of all cricket-playing nations, it should be Cricket India. There should be little control over cricket, only the men running it, should show some restraint.
Since the board cannot be hectoring players of international stature, it does the next best thing, to pamper them with glorified designations like advisors, chairmen or members of the so-called high-powered committees. It is only to buy silence of the noisy.
The most sought after position is that of national selector with handsome pay packet and perks. There are players willing to genuflect before the board officials to stay in the limelight.
Board's latest exercise is to form a puffed up three-member advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar,Saurav Ganguly and Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman. The three "legends" as board secretary Anurag Thakur's described them, have apparently agreed to give back something to the game that gave them so much. All three do not seem to know what they are getting into as Ganguly said in as many words. How long will they stick together suppressing their own aspirations. The question is whether the board's Technical Committee under Anil Kumble redundant or will the two committees duplicate the effort or work at cross purposes when their paths cross.