KOLKATA: As the BCCI pads up to face the Supreme Court on Tuesday, there is plenty of anxiety among the board members. The hearing that was supposed to get over before the WT20 began was somehow adjourned to April 5 — two days after the completion of the event.
As they prepare to face some tough questions from the two-member bench of Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifullah, the board doesn’t sound too optimistic. All that the members want is for the bench to hear their side of the story.
“We want the learned judges to listen to our argument. We felt that though Justice Lodha met various board officials, they never heard us. There are so many areas in the report that if implemented will change the way the sport is run in the country,” said a board official.
“We have told them about the implications of having just three selectors, because in a country like India, such a move will be extremely inadequate for judging talent. If all the state units agree, we may have wider representation. If the honourable Supreme Court doesn’t find merit in this and asks us to consider options, we will do so,” said another official.
But, an influential member of the board asked Express to not expect any miracles. “Let’s not get carried away with what happened during the previous hearing. If one goes by the earlier SC observations, then they won’t give us a chance to put forth our difficulties. The bench wants thorough reforms, and as of now, we’ve not thought about it. They might give us some more time.”