Dalmiya could prove a worthy successor

The AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has always attracted considerable attention all over the country. Weeks before the meeting, the battle lines are drawn and strategies and counter strategies are planned in a manner that would be the envy of an army general.

He has certainly started his tenure on an encouraging note if his comments at the press conference at the conclusion of the meeting are any indication. One particularly liked the way he described match fixing as the "most heinous crime against one's country" while making it clear that there was no question of any relaxation of the ban on 'guilty' players.

A lot of glamour has always been associated with the plum posts, given the power and prestige the game enjoys in the country and that is why some of the leading politicians have contested for the post of the president. Why, in the last two decades, we have had such prominent personalities from this field as SK Wankhede, NKP Salve and Madhavrao Scindia as board chiefs.

But even given this background, the interest in the weekend's meeting of the BCCI at Chennai was perhaps at an all time high. Chief attention centered around the high profile contest between the incumbent AC Muthiah and the challenger Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former president of the International Cricket Council, who interestingly had served earlier as the BCCI secretary. Muthiah had been elected to the post in 1999 and was expected to win a third term, given his impressive record in tackling among other problems, the match fixing issue. But Dalmiya, a shrewd administrator with a strong base, pulled off an upset by winning the election by 17 votes to 13. Muthiah thus joined two others in recent times, Wankhede and BN Dutt who could not complete three years in office.

There will be more than a few tears shed for Muthiah. His was a difficult two year period but he weathered the storm in his calm, assured, even dynamic manner, bringing to the post some of his business acumen as a Chennai based industrialist. He had the image of a players' president and some of the projects like the graded payments scheme, the starting of the National Cricket Academy, the rotation policy of hosting international matches, the appointment of a professional coach and physio, the enhanced fee for players, and increased match fees and prize money for domestic tournaments were certainly positive developments. In his own inimitable manner, he emulated his father MA Chidambaram, who was a popular president from 1960 to 1963.

While there is cause to feel bad about Muthiah's defeat, the positive aspect is that the top post is now held by a person who has the image of a dynamic, action oriented administrator.

Dalmiya, a Kolkata based businessman, has already proved his skill in various important posts during the conduct of the Reliance Cup in 1987, the Wills World Cup in 1996 and the Hero Cup in 1993. Perhaps his biggest contribution has been the aggressive manner in which the game has been marketed. He has been instrumental in selling TV rights and getting sponsorship fees hiked many times over. Given the fact that the game had been woefully undersold for years, Dalmiya's bold approach was widely welcomed and he brought into administration a refreshingly contemporary air. The fact that he has been the ICC president is bound to have a positive impact on India's image internationally.

A well known figure in cricketing circles for over two decades now, Dalmiya, like Muthiah, is a suave gentleman who is media savvy and has the ability to get things done. He has certainly started his tenure on an encouraging note if his comments at the press conference at the conclusion of the meeting are any indication. One particularly liked the way he described match fixing as the "most heinous crime against one's country" while making it clear that there was no question of any relaxation of the ban on 'guilty' players.

There will be few tears shed however for Jaywant Lele's departure. Known for putting his foot in the mouth all too often, Lele lost out narrowly on getting a fifth term as secretary. But the problem here is that his successor Niranjan Shah was aligned with Muthiah and was none too happy with the latter's defeat. But as Shah himself said "I will sit with the new president and work in a cordial atmosphere." That is the way democracy functions and it is good to see the board observe certain democratic norms. The picture of a smiling Muthiah congratulating Dalmiya said it all and one only hopes it points to encouraging times ahead for Indian cricket.