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Rediff.com  » Cricket » 'Former players should head BCCI'

'Former players should head BCCI'

May 12, 2005 17:26 IST
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S.A.Narayan

Hi

After going through the whole article, it just reconfirms my single minded underlying belief : REMOVE DALMIYA FROM EVERYTHING RELATED TO CRICKET... either by Govt. intervention or by the unions/ associations affiliated to the body (which is very much impossible i feel).

Even though Dalmiya is currently not in the helm of affairs, officially, everyone knows the antecedants of the current President of BCCI. The open fact that BCCI means Money, which inturn means Power, this man by his autocratic and authoritative style of functioning has only taken care of his personal interests as well as those people who are ready to lick him for any favor. ( the so called unions/ associations presidents). The very fact that they even went ahead and said in writing that the team they selected is not on behalf of Country India, goes to highlight the thinking that each one in the board currently has.

Also the people at the helm of affairs are no way connected to the Indian Cricket history and are just there because of their political or other clouts. Whereas this board is meant to be for Indian crickets betterment and needs cricketing brains at the helm.

The telecasting rights which the board members are currently vying at is another issue which will run into crores and I m sure again there is a lot of scope for the members to pitch in their power and claim undue financial advantage.

After looking at all this known facts ( there can be some unknown facts too) Yes, the Government needs to really do something and remove that man and initiate some proceedings legally on him and sideline him, which i feel, is the only solution for Team India to really perform and win laurels for the country.
 
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Harry KRIS

Dear Rediff Cricket,

Here is my wish list ....

- BCCI shub be a professional body with full time paid members with fixed time durations of not more than three years

- BCCI shud have a national selection committee of not more than three Test match players with at least 20 Test caps who are paid a salary for their services and they shud be assisted by zonal scouts who help them with the identification and selection of right talent.

- BCCI shud be headed by a CEO and not President and there shud be in place elections which are conducted in free,fair and transparent manner.

- BCCI shud be treated like a corporate body, accounts shud be transparent and all the officials shud be held responsible for their actions.

Thks  n regds

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Chandra

BCCI vision statement is some thing like one can say.

1. wake up early in the morning
2. brush your teeth
3. take bath
4. wear clean uniform and
5. go to school.

what are you talking ? Its been taught in my 1 standard school book.

.We claim the players are part of Indian National Team and lots of issues were raised about possessing the Indian Flags on the helmets/t-shirts et al.

.We claim The Cricket is a religion and sachin is so called "GOD".

.we even had a "Unofficial if not adhoc" media spokes man briefing (appologising) to the public all the way from South Africa about the poor performance in the recent concluded World cup.

But OFFICIALLY they (India Senior Players) are not the "Indian Team" but of Board Control of India.

Public spends not only money but also their whole day to watch the bunch of (So Called) Patriots loosing a game.

And The BCCI is not to be questioned.

Because BCCI is Autonomus.

Then why to have the name "Board of Control for Cricket in 'INDIA' " instead they can have BCC (India) Pvt Ltd.

About Rediff Vision Statement:

Instead of BCCI, the name should be "Indian Cricket Board" or "Indian Cricket Federation " like Indian Hockey Federation  or "Cricket India" and the board should have one member representing from  Union Sports Ministry of Govt of India, like SEBI.

Thx

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Lakshminarayana Krishna Murthy

Sir,

Here are my suggestions to BCCI:

1. Change the name from 'Board of Control of Cricket in India' to just 'India Cricket' or 'India Cricket Board'.

2. The Cricket Board makes crores of rupees from the public and sponsors alike. So the Board has to declare its statement of affairs at regular intervals (6-months or annually).

3. If BCCI does not budge from its present stand, then the players need to be told that they are not playing for INDIA but for BCCI; and the public need not pay any money to watch them play. Commentators and cricket afficionados should refrain from calling them Indian players and instead brand them as BCCI players.

4. The Ministry of Sports and the Indian Olympic Association President should take over the administration of BCCI, to ensure a better future for Indian Cricket.

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DR BANERJEE
ENGLAND

I do not intend to confine my thoughts on telecast right which is not that important than the subject you desire cricket lovers to ponder upon to safegaurd interest  of cricket in India.

You may like or not but the fact remains BCCI is the best run sports body in India.In facft during the last five to seven years not only the standing of crickters but the financial position of even state level players have improved in a way that the parents of many now look towards this game as a professional prospect in life which exists in both England and Australia and beeing followed by South Africa and New Zeland.

Credit must go to Mr Jagmohan Dalmia who motiveted this august body to look towards the games salable prospect making each state branch and BCCI financially viable to promote the game at the grassroot level.

The hard effort of a million student of cricket on the field at the earliest age under the supervision of a well run cricket academy may produce one Sunil Gavaskar,Kapil Dev,Sachin Tendulkar.Australia through cricket academy now can have two competent national cricket team to face any country on the field on anyday.

BCCI started the effort and can achieve this if only they run outside the control of GOVERNTMENT.If only someone is bend upon the destruction of cricket in India shall they advocate Govt.intervention.Accountibility shall be a must but that should be on a democratic way to the members of the democratic association most of them are headed by highly educated competent people.Wer Indians are prompt in finding fault on a drop of a hat without considering the aota of contribution we made to its success.

Instead of finding fault with a fairly well run body like BCCI why not we concentrate on the functioning of Hockey in INDIA the most potential sports we played for many years.Why is it being run the way it is with no fund.

Why should not we find some one like Mr Dalmia who can sale the game through fund the prosperity of Hockey in India but also look after  the financial health of our players.Why not initiate academies to bring best hands in Hockey.

We are not concern about becouse Hockey is not doing well both in the field and also in the financial book.Yes the expertise in the game must be uteised for the betterment of the game.One must remember that not all greats in the field of Science and Medicine are good adminstrator so is n the sports all great sports person are not good adminstrators.

The expers need be utelised in the area of technical help as Mr Sunil Gavaskar is tecnical head both in BCCI and in ICC.He shall be a great coach/chairman of selection body but may not be good in promoting the game or in itd daily routine maters.

Yes time has come when BCCI need think of having a qualified CEO who shall run the adminstration under policy frame of an elected national reperesentation the way the article of BCCI formulates or amends time to time.

For GOD sake leave BCCI from IAS BABUS CONTROL to save the game in INDIA. We have seen through years the fate of Govt.run institutions and are scared of it nail in the field of Cricket directing towards coffin.

BCCI must be credited for being financially indipendent and at the same time improve the standard of the game along with improving financial state of the players.What we should  request them is to rectify the areas of deficiency, be more accountable and transparent more so in financal dealing.

PLEASE LET BCCI BE OUTSIDE THE POISONOUS NAIL OF SARKARI CONTROL..

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Govindaraj J
Chennai

Dear Sir,

I thought it was about time that someone belled this Cat.
As part of the paying public we feel that the decision making authority and the way BCCI runs its finances and also the way it handles selecting and running local bodies needs lot of changes. I have listed the changes on the order of priority.

1. Non cricketers should never head the BCCI. While i agree that lawyers and administrators could run institutions better on finances. Their spending will not always be in the best interest of the game. While profit is not a bad word, surplus is what needs to be achieved. I think this can happen with Cricketers who have knowledge of running finances (either who run some business or successful coaching centres) should head the BCCI. This would take care of both interests . Cricketers and finances.

2. Funding of games and domestic season should be fixed as a percentage of the revenue of BCCI . This would ensure a proper nurturing system is in place. Right now what happens is that international cricketers make a lot of money compared to their poor cousins namely the domestic players. As a result parents are scared to allow their kids to pursue the game at a professional level.

3. Expenses on 5 star occomadation , liquor entertainment needs to be audited and restricted to what is absolutely necessary. I think if a cricketer is involved at all stages of decision making it would avoid unnecessary attention to these aspects which is not concerned with promotion of the game.

4. External people not associated with cricket should be hired only as consultants or lobbyists wherever necessary. This would ensure that the association is not hijacked by non-professionals.

5. BCCI should concentrate on creating academies on the lines of the Aussie academy. Right now there are only private ones .

6. A few ex-cricketers should be in charge of Talent Hunting. Their job being only to go around the country and discover talent. What Imran did to the pakistan team needs to be duplicated. Once this is done the BCCI academy should be incharge of nuturing the talent.

I hope this is implemented in it true spirit.

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Madhavan  S

To my opinion, I feel BCCI should follow the points.

1. Should pay TAX to the government of India.

2. Should be audited like any other public ltd. co.

3. Should publish the Balance sheet in the media.
(As the money is earned from the Public of india, where most of  them who spend happen to be lower middle class or much lesser than that)

4. Proper financial program for players who have retired or injured.

5. Should publish the planned improvement program in the beginning of the year and actual program done at the end of the year.

6. To come out with a proper process of selecting Players, Captain, Coach, Office bearers etc.

7. Should built a museum, containing the shields, cup etc won by our team, right from the first day of BCCI.

The above points will automatically remove the excess and unaccounted funds in BCCI, which inturn will get rid of "The so called Administrators", those who dont know cricket or the english to speak to in media (people like Dalmiya, Nair etc.).

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Sudarshan Seshadri

Hi I have a few of my suggestions on making BCCI really mean what its name suggests.

Firstly BCCI needs to thank the government of India for letting it be said that BCCI is not representing the government and therefore is free to do what it chooses.

Now for the actual suggestions.

1. BCCI should use this opportunity to float a public issue and convert itself from a honorary body to a public limited organisation.

2. Elect a CEO and the current board memers should be the board of directors ( We need Mr Dalmiya in some capacity, he is the only one in the cricket world with balls to challegen the ICC).

3. This should be a professional body with clear mandate and accountability

4. BCCI should purchase all cricket stadiums in the country and also should therefore ensure that each stadium has a General Manager (each stadium should be like a hotel in a chain of hotels like say the Taj group etc). Each GM should be responsible for everything in the stadium from the pitch to the stands to the gate receipts etc.

5. All players should be on a contract with mutual exit clauses and contracts should be classified as white for domestic only (state only), yellow for domestic national/Zone (Duleep/Irani etc), red for ODI only, Blue for Test and ODI.

6. The contract should stipulate all conditions including things like fitness levels, injuries on and off field, body weight etc.

This should also lay down standrds of performance per match and consequences of non performance.

7. Selectors should be a group of three to five individuals appointed on the basis of a public selection process (based on certain qualifications like past players etc).

These people should be paid on the basis of the teams performance or lack thereof. These people should be appointed for a period of three years and this should be a position for which applications should be sought and formal selection process to be adhered to.

8. Coaches-Coaches should be appointed again on a contractual basis with a clear list of deliverables over a agreed time frame.

Coach should be the final authority on all cricketing matters post team selection. Coach should have a voting right in team selection.

9. Assitant coaches and succession planning should be strictly adhered to ensure successful transition from one coach to another and continuation of strategies.

10. BCCI should float its own TV channel or buy stakes into a sports channel to ensure that TV revenues are protected.

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Rajesh

1. The first and foremost thing, BCCI should do is to remove the current Selection Committee and as per John Wright's suggestion, we should hire Professionals to select cricketers to play for India. It is high time that we should do away the regional selection basis, and instead work for one team-one country. We can involve ex-Indian crickets or foreign players to spot the talent young and to nurture it, irrespective of the Region that player belongs to.

2. BCCI should hire another coach for India-A and India U 19 team. We must have 1 foreign coach for the Indian National Team, 1 foreign coach for India-A and U-19 team and 1 Bowling Coach for the National team and another one for India-A / U-19 team.

3. BCCI must tell us how much it is earning from the Sport and how much it is spending on improving the facilities and on new emerging players. It need to encourage talent-hunt and send young players abroad for better experience.

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Mohan
 
In order to regulate and make BCCI accountable to public thy should audit their accounts (Income and Expenditure) and publish the same. Even the state level organisation also should be audited.
 
BCCI also should publish the total Income and expenditure incurred after each tour of the national team to other country of foreign team to our country.
 
The Govt sould made it mandatory to spend atleast 50% of the income generated evey yer by each sports body especially BCCI in the development of sports such as construction of better facilities, conducting coaching camps for upcoming players etc.
 
The Govt. should make it mandatory to pass a percentage of excess income generated each year to the Ministry of Sports so that this fund can utilise in the development of other sports. BCCI is the rishest sports body not only in India but in the world and the excess fund generated by it is not utilising for the development of other game like, hokey,tennis,vollyball etc. By enacting such law the excess money generated by BCCI can be utilise for the development of other sports.
 
The above are some of our view.
 
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Krishna

Hi,

- The members of the bcci should be anyone who has played cricket. It should not be a place for politicians, businessman to show their powers.

- It should be governed like a public company. The office bearers are accountable to any wrong-doings of the bcci to an authority.

- The bcci should be audited by CAG, India

- The selection policy should be transparent. The backroom deals to select the players should go.

- The selection of players based on zonal, regional should go.

- The players performance should be considered

- The development of domestic cricket should be strengthened

- India should have a domestic cricket competition similar to county cricket. Foreign players should be allowed to play for local teams for money. This will improve the Indian cricket standards

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Narayanan, Magesh Babu

Dear Editor,

This is with reference to the new that BCCI is not responsible to the Government, States or the General Public. Let the BCCI know that without the Public involving in and accepting them, they could not grow this much, so much so to boost that this BCCI is the richest cricket body in the world. They opinion that the team selected by BCCI is not an India team but merely a BCCI team is simply rubbish and not acceptable. First, let there be no Politics in selecting the players for the India team. Let the players be selected according to their abilities and not thro politics or prejudice or by corruption. Second, let there be transparency in the selection / omitting / withholding a player (as in case of Ganguly for the last 2 ODI against Pakistan).

Let the Board not be a den for Businessmen / persons to hold power and run the show as per their whims and fancies. The BCCI is accountable to the public and there be transparency in their work.

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Romeo R

I wish all the best for Rahul Mehra and Shantanu Sharma on behalf of the Indian Public.

The BCCI is taking the Indian people for a ride. It says it is not accountable as a private body, to the government, nor to the courts, nor indeed to the public.

Then why Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya and the BCCI have approached the Prime Minister (Indian Goverment) for Tax exemptions for the upcoming ICICI Mini World Cup.

I hope if by chance the BCCI has its way of getting tax exempted for this tournament, Rahul Mehra and Shantanu Sharma or somebody files a PIL and avoid this Mess.

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Vijay Sarathi
 
1. Get rid of the elections to the State Associations.

2. These units must be called by a professional name and all the functionaries be paid salaries as professionals are paid.

3. Bring in people who are trained in sports management.

4. Those who are paid salaries may not be employed in any other profitable profession.

5. No arbitrary "Honourable " positions.

6. Either one is 24X7 in it or out of it.

7. Each state unit must be given a target to contribute to the bench strength of the team, bring in at least a fixed amt of revenue and also preparation of Sporting pitches.

8. Grounds committee and other technical committed must be handled by professionals who are not arbitrary secretaries etc.

9. Do away with the Zonal representation of Selection committee...have Two or Three member Panels and make them accountable for the failure of the team as well as Success. They must be paid on par with the senior cricketers.

10. Team Managers and Physios and Coaches must be professionally qualified and must also be under the scanner for performance of the team like the Players.

11. There must be incentives and dis-incentives for performance of the team (Team includes the Players and Support staff including the Mgr and Coach)

12. Each State unit has to maintain its own if possible purchase a Ground in good condition and have pitches suitable for both Pace and Spin bowling.

13. These pitches must be certified by the Technical Committee along with the Captains of the teams that play on the pitches both before and after every match ( Before the match because a losing captain can always score the pitch bad for his teams poor performance) and teh Pitch quality must be studied in this light.

14. Each state unit must be provided with funds by BCCI according to the revenue contribution the unit brings by way of hosting matches, for preparation of sporting pitches and also for the number of players it contributes to the bench strength of the national team as these are the performance bench marks.

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Kesavan.M

Hi

A few points to ensure that BCCI is thoroughly clean.

It should be managed professionally by a qualified person.

Only those who have played cricket at the highest level for a minimum of 10 Tests should be incharge of sporting activities in the national level.

The selectors for the international team should have played a minimum of 50 tests, 75 ODI's and they should be accountable for the selection.

From its corpus fund, it should be equally divided with the state associations for ground improvements and infrastructure improvements.

No Politician should be in the BCCI at all levels.
 
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Also read: Help the BCCI clean up its act

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