Hours before the emergent working committee meeting that would determine his fate, a dhoti-clad BCCI chief, N. Srinivasan, made his way into his posh residence after dashing to a Ganesha temple in Mylapore.
The protagonist of Indian cricket’s recent controversies is known for his spiritual beliefs and penchant for superstition. Seeking divine intervention, therefore, is not unusual in Srinivasan’s case, but ‘judgment day’ made it more significant.
Srinivasan was one of the early birds at the meeting as he reached the city hotel, where the meeting was scheduled, around 10:50 am, well in advance for the 2.30 pm gathering. Did he do so to avoid all the media glare or was it an attempt to make it to the venue before the auspicious period ended, one wonders?
The number of mediapersons – cutting across beats such as crime, business, sports and politics - swelled as time wore on. Bouncers, appointed by the hotel, kept guard as the BCCI members made their way in, but not before getting mobbed by cameramen.
Rumours and speculation filled the air even before the meeting began and the closed door meeting was yet to be concluded when TV channels started flashing the breaking news of Jagmohan Dalmiya’s entry. Waiting reporters were left wondering whether officials were attending a key meeting or keenly texting TV editors the minutes of what was going on inside.
Total chaos reigned as one official after another came out of the meeting. As the bouncers’ attempts to escort Srinivasan through the main gate proved futile because the waiting media refusing to give way, the BCCI president had to escape through the back door.
Not for nothing had Srinivasan told BCCI members that the media considered him bigger than the country’s prime minister. ‘Interim chief’ Dalmiya too followed suit, through the back door but not before addressing a media melee.