In England for the Champions Trophy for the past 10 days I have been relieved of the carpet-bombing that continues in the Indian media about the spot-fixing scam. But I can’t claim disinterest in the story, despite the almost complete absence of it in the English media.
To each their own I suppose, though I must admit to still being perplexed at the nature and extent of the scam as it were. New revelations emerge each day and cases against those arrested or under the scanner do not seem to be as watertight as imagined. To borrow the immortal phrase from Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland, the case is getting “curiouser and curiouser”.
With Raj Kundra, stake holder in Rajasthan Royals, also being pulled into the dragnet of investigations launched by the Delhi Police, the case has had such a dramatic twist that poor Jagmohan Dalmiya, who has become interim BCCI chief, must now also believe that he will also have to become Sherlock Holmes!
But of course this is no joking matter. The police claim Kundra was betting on his own team. Kundra claims he is above board and is in fact helping the police unravel the mystery. The major stakeholders of Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, have put out an official note that Kundra does not run the franchise and would be suspended and divested of his stake if he is found guilty.
Phew! Coming on the heels of whatever else has transpired over the past few weeks, how’s that for a suspense-laden roller-coaster ride? I’ll admit to being flummoxed; I’ll also say, however, that it becomes even more imperative for the truth to be reached in this matter — and by due process of law, not by witch-hunts
The ways of reaching there are not, however, easy. Consider the aspect of owners (or stakeholders or `principals’) betting on their own team. In horse racing, it is not uncommon for owners to do this so how is it different for cricket?
I think the issue is in the regulations governing the IPL where it is expressly mentioned that owners and those associated closely with teams shall not bet — or face disqualification. That is a covenant everybody had agreed to abide by.
It could be legally established that Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra are not controlling authorities where the Chennai and Rajasthan franchises are concerned. But if it is established that they have been betting on the teams associated with them (as well as others) it could queer the pitch for the BCCI: should these teams be debarred or not?
I have always maintained that the IPL is a terrific sport property that has to be nurtured with care and protected with zeal. The BCCI has failed the tests of both diligence and alertness in ensuring this and is now reeling under the body blow to its credibility.
Perhaps some good will come out of all this in due course in time. Meanwhile, there is good news from England where India have won their first match in the Champions Trophy which was half the battle in getting into the semi-final.
South Africa were hit by injury no doubt, but India’s performance was impressive on all counts, most notably in the fielding which was top class. In itself that was clear indication of the value young legs and young lungs have brought into the side.
The other, and perhaps more significant, was the success of the selectors in picking a side where the success has easily outweighed the failures — at least so far. Kartik, Rohit, Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja — whose inclusion was laced with skepticism — have all come good.
One victory does not mean the title has been won, of course, but there are encouraging signs that India have a strong core team in place already for the 2015 World Cup.
Not all 15 in this squad will survive two years, but those who lose their place from here will have only themselves to blame.