BCCI Runs A Totally Parallel Administration

IT HAS BEEN more than a year and a half since the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators took charge of Indian cricket.

- Neeru Bhatia

Since then, its chairman Vinod Rai, along with former Indian women’s team captain Diana Edulji, has been engaged in warfare—direct and guerilla—with the members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

On July 5, a special bench consisting of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud observed that, prima facie, the court did not accept a three-year cooling-offperiod after every elected term, which the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee had recommended. The hearing came a day after the CoA submitted its ninth status report. Justice R.M. Lodha, former chief justice of India, said he was disgusted by this apparent softening of stand.

The bench, while reserving its order, said it would finalise the draft constitution to be adopted by the BCCI and its affiliated state associations.

Despite exuding confidence at the outset, the Rai-led CoA has not found the going smooth. BCCI office bearers have red flagged the committee’s every decision. Now, both sides are waiting for the court order. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Rai spoke about how he had to fight a parallel administration, yet moved ahead with the job at hand. Excerpts:

How do you look back at your experience as CoA chairman?

Cricket being a religion in the country, we [should] bring undiluted cricket to cricket lovers. The BCCI becomes an intermediary between cricketers and cricket lovers. And, there I think we have not been able to give undiluted service. The interest of cricketers and cricket lovers sometimes becomes secondary... and that is where I am hoping the Supreme Court will put its foot down.