With great power comes great responsibility. Much as we might seek to idealise the inviolability of these words, there exists in the present the unfortunate circumstance of men who matter succumbing to the latest — if not last — temptation in a gentleman’s game already sullied by match-fixing. Indeed, if in the impartiality of Indian cricket’s administrators we no longer trust, it is because ‘conflict of interest’, referring to a situation wherein an individual or organisation is associated with multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation behind decisions in other areas, has forced upon us such niggling doubt.
In an ever-growing list of suspected violators of our faith — the roll call already including N Srinivasan, simultaneously BCCI head honcho and owner of the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK); Kris Srikkanth, at once chairman of the national selection panel and CSK brand ambassador till recently; Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri, bound to the views of the BCCI by lucrative contracts and yet insistent that they voice independent opinions as TV commentators — we must perforce append the name of Anil Kumble, who has invited questions regarding potential prejudice on his part by sharing with his roles as big boss of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and National Cricket Academy (NCA), his interests as chief mentor of the IPL outfit Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and owner of Tenvic, a player management agency among whose signees are R Vinay Kumar and S Aravind, both featuring in the Indian squad for the first two ODIs in the ongoing series with England.
While this is not to suggest that Kumble — as with the other names mentioned — has thus far been guilty of wrongdoing, the presence of conflict of interest not necessarily leading to impropriety, the point to be made here is not so much about proof of malpractice as the possibility of its occurrence. A former cricketer turning administrator presents a welcome change in a world infested with power-hungry politicians. And yet, with due respect to Kumble’s attempt to earn a living as entrepreneur through entirely legitimate means, the decision to occupy honorary positions at the KSCA and NCA were his by choice, not compulsion.
In these times of unforgiving scrutiny, being honest and being seen to be honest are virtues that often do not overlap. Which is why MS Dhoni — whose friend and manager Arun Pandey runs a Kumble-like agency, Rhiti Sports Management, its signees other than the Team India captain being Suresh Raina and RP Singh, a surprise replacement during the tour of England — must be subjected to raised eyebrows. That the same agency also holds exclusive marketing rights for CSK lends compelling reason for seeds of suspicion.
Should Kumble and Dhoni feel no discomfort despite such mistrust, it would be on account of the BCCI having ‘legalised’ conflict of interest, the cricket board being so comfortable with contradictions that the term has been elevated to a legitimate right for the high and mighty.
The blatant manner in which the BCCI amended clause 6.2.4 of the regulations for players, team officials, umpires and administrators in September 2008 to allow administrators to nurture commercial interests in the IPL, Champions League and T20 is reflective of how the system is unburdened by accountability. For followers of the game seeking protection of the interests of Indian cricket, there is no conflict on this viewpoint.