Over the past few months, the Indian cricket board has been trying to improve its image by making efforts to reconcile with the cricketing world which is alienated after virtually taking over the International Cricket Council and its finances.
Last November, BCCI chief Shashank Manohar said he wanted to put an end to the ‘bullying’ of the ICC by the ‘Big Three’ boards of India, Australia and England.
Some steps have been taken on that front, with future ICC chairmen not allowed to hold any post with a member board and the ‘Big Three’ set to lose permanent seats in key financial committees. But at home, the story is different.
While it is trying its best to distance itself from members of the previous regime that was headed by N Srinivasan, the BCCI is failing spectacularly on the one aspect upon which all sports bodies are assessed – hosting a world event.
The World T20 is set to start on March 8 in India and tickets for the same haven’t gone on sale yet. The Indian board has said tickets should be available from Monday and even if that happens, it’s a gigantic blot on the organisational skills of the BCCI.
T20 World Cup is 28 days away. No tickets have been sold, Delhi needs safety upgrades while Pakistan / Windies could boycott. Extraordinary.
— Sam Landsberger (@SamLandsberger) February 12, 2016
Compare that to the Rio Olympics, which is scheduled to be held in August and whose tickets were made available months ago. Fans eager to attend such mega events must be given enough time to plan for the travel and make bookings according to their budget. But for the BCCI, one month is apparently enough to sort everything out.
The most obvious reason for this inordinate delay is the uncertainty over whether the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi will be fit to host its share of matches, following its failure to get the necessary government clearances. If Delhi cannot host the ties, other venues need to be prepared to take over and thus the delay.
If reports are to be believed, some BCCI officials are happy with the late availability of tickets because that means less pressure on them to entertain those seeking complimentary passes. Only in BCCI’s world is that a fair trade-off.
To add to the shambolic scenes, it is not clear whether the West Indies and Pakistan teams will be a part of the proceedings. The Caribbean players are still locked in a contractual battle with the West Indies Cricket Board and are demanding a substantial jump in pay.
While captain Darren Sammy has said the team wants to travel to India, their withdrawal midway from the 2014 India tour is proof they are more than capable of causing a major disruption.
Then there is the politically sensitive matter of India-Pakistan cricket. The Pakistanis are still miffed at being denied a series against India, even though it had been agreed upon. With the World T20 a matter of days away, news came from Pakistan that their visit to India is subject to government clearances as they feel there is a credible threat to Pakistan players, and nationals, in India.
And if the said clearance doesn’t materialise, the PCB feel the ICC must look at the possibility of playing its matches on neutral venues. Combine that with the lackadaisical attitude of the Indian board, contractual disputes in the West Indies and combustible India-Pakistan relations and you get a World T20 tournament that looks jinxed.
Forget any hype in the lead-up to the tournament, cricket fans are not sure which teams will end up playing the tournament and whether those hoping to see their favourite teams in action will manage to make arrangements for it in time and within budget.
While I hate clichés, I can’t help but say that ultimately, cricket will be the loser.
In the first T20 against Sri Lanka, the curator at Pune presented a green track that had more assistance for fast bowlers than most surfaces in England, New Zealand and South Africa. The Indians batted first and were shot out for 101 by the Sri Lankan pace attack.
Stung by the reversal, India had revenge on their mind and they got the perfect platform to do it – a bone dry wicket in Ranchi.
Captain MS Dhoni’s home town gave its favourite son a pitch that gave ample help to the spinners while remaining true enough for the batsmen to score runs. And right on cue, India batted first and smashed 196 for six before the Indian bowlers, led by spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, ripped the visiting batting line up apart to register a 69-run win.
The third and final T20 was as lop-sided a contest as one can hope to see. Batting first on a wicket where the ball spun from the first over, the Sri Lankans had no chance against Ashwin and Co.
The series win has provided the Indians with a perfect formula to succeed at the World T20. As long as India play on wickets that are dry and offer help to the spinners, no team can match them.
Their batsmen know exactly how to score on such wickets and Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja’s eight overs will surely wreak havoc. They truly are tigers at home.
