Indian cricketers are spoilt brats if historian Ramchandra Guha’s claim is to be believed.
Guha came down heavily on the Superstar Syndrome in his resignation letter from the Committee of Administrators.
There is some truth in what Guha says. Indian cricketers are nothing less than gods in our country.
In many countries, cricketers can lead their private lives without being mobbed. The reverse applies in India. It was the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli drama which directly led to Guha quitting the Supreme Court appointed panel.
As Guha pointed out, no team in the world has the right to decide who the coach is going to be. That is true. Kohli could have voiced an opinion but he cannot, as a player, influence the selection of the coach.
Though Kohli categorically denied that there is any rift between him and Kumble, the deed was already done.
The denial came much too late after the Press had a field day trying to come up with various reasons for such a state of affairs.
The BCCI must be directly blamed for nurturing such a culture in Indian cricket. Their greed for money and constant arrogance has damaged, ed cricket as a whole.
If Kumble has delivered results, why is there a selection process set to name a coach? He should have automatically qualified to carry on. There was no thought given to such important matters. Giving just one-year contracts to coaches is not done. At least two years should be a minimum to maintain continuity.
So Kumble has now re-applied for the post of coach which seems silly.
If a coach is doing well, automatically renew his contract again. Why make him feel inferior by putting other names in the hat. Fame and fortune has always followed Indian cricketers. They are like the football stars in Europe.
A cricketer today makes fashion statements. You see them with a new haircut one day or a different shaped beard on the other. Nobody grudges them all that. It is they who put in all the hard work. But that does not mean they can throw their weight around.
They cannot be larger than the game. They can do what they want in their private lives but when playing they have to conform.
India is cricket mad. They adore the cricketers and they, too, must reciprocate. However, there are times when some snooty player does not acknowledge the crowd after achieving a landmark. He prefers to acknowledge his mates in the dressing room.
This is the kind of stuff which irritates many. After all, it’s the fans that made them and put them on a pedestal.
Guha has accused some of the former cricketers of having conflict of interest. But if due permission is given, then there is no problem. Sunil Gavaskar rightly said that there is a jealously factor in Indian cricket. Guha went too far on that one.
His allegation about Mahendra Singh Dhoni are also wrong. You don’t measure the ‘A’ contract given to Dhoni by the scope of his play but by his abilities. There is no doubt on that front. But there is a lot of truth in what Guha says. The CoA must act since they have been given the mantle to do so.
The BCCI has to long been run by politicians, business and people with scant knowledge of the game. The CoA was appointed to put things right. Guha has claimed that they have been silent so far.
If such is the case, then they must start laying down the law.
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