05 September, 2000

Hi, guys...

Getting away, for the moment, from Curtley Ambrose, I wonder what you made of the team -- okay, the squad of 23 -- that was picked for the upcoming Kenya knock-out gig?

There are a few aspects to it that merit passing mention. And the first relates to the number itself. 23.

Intriguingly enough, the first pick was a team of 21. And then, a few minutes after the initial announcement, it was hastily revised to 23.

In the meantime, the Bombay office of the BCCI -- which, after all, is the head office -- had called us and given us the first list. Then came the two extra names. Of Robin Singh and Debashish Mohanty.

Now then, what was all that about? Did the selectors when making their first pick forget Robin Singh and Mohanty? Or did they, starting out with the mindset of picking a young team, leave Robin out on the grounds of age, and Mohanty on the grounds of non-performance? And did someone then twist arms to get the names included?

This is the BCCI we are talking of, here. Answers, therefore, are not forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the other interesting aspect relates to the explanations given by the board for picking the team they did. Were Azhar, Jadeja, Chopra and Mongia left out on the grounds that they are being targetted for investigation? No, comes the official response -- we continue to maintain that all players in our eyes are innocent until and unless proved guilty.

Why then are they dropped? Because, says the board, we want a young, fresh team.

Nice try, but that is a whopper. I mean, is Nikhil Chopra older than Venkatesh Prasad? Or is picking Robin Singh supposed to be the highlight of a catch-them-young mindset among the selectors?

The real reasons are of course two-fold. Firstly, there was enormous government pressure on the BCCI to drop the tainted names. Which the board won't admit to, since it implies that the body is not paramount in all matters cricketing -- an admission the board is reluctant to make.

And secondly, there is within the board a substantial section that believes the players left out ARE tainted and should go, for the good of Indian cricket. But they can't say so, not on record -- because if they do, it then raises a question the board cannot answer.

That question is this: If Azhar, Jadeja, Mongia and Chopra (and, within the week, Kapil Dev) are left out on the grounds of being 'tainted', what then of CAB chief Jagmohan Dalmiya , BCCI treasurer Kishore Rungta, Rajasthan Cricket Association boss and power-behind-the-cricket-scenes Purushottam Rungta (remember he was a special invitee for the deliberations into the Code of Conduct), all of whom have recently been raided?

Most importantly, what of Dr A C Muthiah, the BCCI chief, who is now in the middle of a court case involving assorted wrongdoings in the matter of the shares of Southern Petrochemicals, the company he is head of?

That is the real problem for the board -- once admit that Azhar and company were dropped because they are 'tainted', and the board will be forced to remove the Rungtas, and Dalmiya. And between them, those three wield supreme power in Indian cricketing affairs.

And who has to do the removing? Dr Muthiah -- who will then be forced to remove himself as well.

So... "We are building a young, fresh team'," goes the lyrics to the song.

Meanwhile on Rediff, Harsha Bhogle looks deep within his heart -- and comes up with a tribute to that enduring icon, Curtley Ambrose. Plus the usual clutch of stories, slide shows, et al, both in Cricket and in Sports.

Happy Browsing.

Prem

Mail Cricket Editor