An open letter to the BCCI

Dear BCCI,

First of all, let me congratulate you with all my heart. The BCCI , for quite some years now, has been the richest and most powerful cricket board in the world. As a patriotic Indian, this is a matter of pride for me. You see, we Indians are not really used to seeing our nation occupy the number one position in many fields. Be it a border dispute, counter-terrorism measures or economic policies, India has always been viewed by the world as meek and submissive. In a vast majority of sports, India languishes at the bottom of the rankings and a position of power remains a fantasy rather than a possibility. Hence, to see an Indian governing body sitting at the pinnacle of the hierarchy of a sport that is followed by almost half the population of the world is very heartening.

Not that long ago, world cricket was firmly controlled by England and Australia. They framed and disposed laws to suit their own needs and their votes were enough to silence any voices of dissent in the cricketing world. They wielded enough power to influence all major decisions and India was at that time nothing more than a sideshow, something akin to a Zimbabwe in today’s era. However, at this stage, the BCCI contributes more than 70 % of the total revenue that world cricket generates. This has placed you in a unique and envious position of being the leader of all cricketing nations and yet has burdened you with a tremendous responsibility towards the game. Speaking as a true and fanatical cricket fan, I am not particularly pleased with the way that you have handled this responsibility.

Any genuine cricket lover worth his salt will tell you that Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket. A batsman achieves greatness by excelling in the face of unfriendly batting conditions and hostile bowling, rather than slogging sixes on flat pitches. Fast bowling is best enjoyed when it is attacking and mean, not when it is repeatedly forced to employ insipid tools like ‘slower’ ones or off-cutters. Considering these factors, your attitude towards the five-day version of the game seems to be rather step-motherly. At a time when India has lost eight consecutive overseas Test matches, your primary concern is organizing the lucrative T-20 Champions League. Bombarding the public with mindless T-20 matches and then proclaiming that this is what the public wanted all along is a faulty logic. If you find a way to produce pitches that will not encourage boring draws, people will watch the matches. If there is any country where there’s is no shortage of cricket fans, it is India.

You might certainly be tempted to feel that I dislike your golden goose: the IPL. Nothing could be further from the truth. Players like Ravichandran Ashwin or Yusuf Pathan might never have had the opportunity to don the national colours had it not been for the IPL. Youngsters can now think of cricket as a serious career option instead of the bold gamble that it used to be for a poor or middle-class boy. What concerns me is that the IPL may eventually alter the ambitions of budding cricketers throughout the world. If two months of IPL can make one a millionaire, would youngsters still dream of representing their countries one day?

Tony Greig, in his Spirit of Cricket lecture at Lord’s, was quite resentful of your dominance. I personally felt that a major part of his speech was hypocritical and baseless. Still, in that speech, there were some points that made some sense and I quote them verbatim:

“We can huff and puff as much as we like and have all sorts of external reports but this situation can only be resolved by India accepting that the spirit of cricket is more important than generating billions of dollars; it’s more important than turning out multi-millionaire players, and it’s more important than getting square with Australia and England for their bully-boy tactics towards India over the years…… I believe most of the existing problems can be solved by India if it embraces the spirit of cricket and leads for world cricket, not just for India……… India should agree to reduce the length of the IPL in its current form as a trade-off for the other countries not scheduling Internationals in opposition to it……’’

One of the major reasons why television ratings for the IPL have declined over the years is spectator fatigue. Even the most die-hard fan will not watch two matches a day, over a period of 60 days. I understand that more matches translate into more revenue for you but I surely think that it is time to draw the line somewhere. If the length of the tournament is reduced by half and a window is created for the IPL, all the best cricketers in the world can participate. This would surely cause an increase in viewership all over the world and much of your revenue will remain intact. Also, there is good reason to question the existence of the Champions League. If four of the ten teams are from the IPL, then you are hardly offering anything new to the audience. The same time could be easily utilized for giving many of our tired cricketers some rest so that they may win some Tests for us.

It is high time that the enormous amount of money that flows throughout the IPL is monitored and every last bit of corruption and malpractice is weeded out. The five cricketers caught by a sting operation who were suspended by you are merely fringe players who have been made into sacrificial pawns. If there were to be a case against any of the bigger fish, would you have been so prompt in your actions? The IPL should try to evolve into a clean and spectacular event rather than a shady circus which invites money-launderers and politicians of dubious moral characters.

Regarding the use of DRS, I think you are taking too harsh a stance. It may have its faults, but it has been statistically proven that it significantly reduces wrong decisions and that justice prevails. Yes, there have been instances where it has gone against Indian batsmen but did it also not save Sachin Tendulkar in the WC 2011 semi-final against Pakistan? You may possess enough clout to ensure that DRS is never used in a series involving India, but it is the game that is going to suffer in the long run. Teams that have grown accustomed to fair decisions will not easily digest human umpiring errors and it will only lead to more discord.

My letter may read like the frustrated rant of an angry fan, but my only wish is to see India lead world cricket and command respect at the same time. Otherwise, there will be no difference between us and the bullying powers which ruled cricket in the times gone by. A more scrupulous BCCI in today’s context would only lead to cricket evolving into an even more beautiful and gentlemanly game.

Warm Regards,

A true Indian cricket fan