In terms of surprises and twists, even Justice Dipak Mishra hasn’t seen any case close to this. It is one of those cold January winter mornings in New Delhi. Apart from him, Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud — the other two members of the bench — too couldn’t believe what they have heard from BCCI President Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke. The duo have been part of the board which has been defiant when it comes to implementing the Lodha reforms. An axe has been hanging over their head. It is D-Day for the BCCI and perhaps to cricket in India.
It is in this backdrop that Thakur and Shirke in an affidavit reveal, “Respected Lordships, the BCCI would like to inform the bench that all of its members have unanimously voted for bringing changes in its constitution. However, we feel the present dispensation of the board won’t be in a position to bring these changes, some of which we consider would shake the fundamentals of the cricket structure. Hence all office-bearers have offered to quit and we request you to name an ad-hoc panel to run the day-to-day administration of the BCCI.”
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Australians have arrived in India and in the first press conference, visiting captain Steve Smith reveals his fiance is a huge fan of Virat Kohli and he, like her, just can’t wait to see the Indian captain in flesh again. Smith says he is just a humble cricketer and is looking forward to getting a few tips from Kohli on how to improve his batting. Having read this in the morning newspapers, Kohli takes to Instagram with a post that reads: “Thank you champ for the wonderful words. Will meet you all soon. Enjoy your stay in India.”
Has there been a contest between these two teams as controversy-free as this? As both teams reach Pune, Smith says his teams stands no chance at all in this series and challenges Kohli if he can roll out green tracks to make it a level playing field. Kohli likes challenges. It is what brings the best out of him. He requests the curator for a green track even as head coach Anil Kumble shakes his head and says, “You are playing in to their hands.”
Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri who is reading about this sipping Director’s Special, tweets, “Go on Champ @viratkohli18. Be Bold and Play Bold. Remember you are the captain.”
Despite playing on a green track, India steamrolls Australia inside three days with Kohli’s harmless medium-pace fetching him 7/40. Even the Aussie media that likes to be the 12th man for its team is magnanimous in their approval. One of their correspondents writes ‘Kohli is the Nelson Mandela of world cricket’. But from there on, the wind blows the other way as Smith & Co win the next three Tests on similar conditions and dislodge India as the number one ranked side.
Despite Smith having a horrid series with the bat, where he averages 13.53, Kohli’s has been complete-contrast. He has scored hundreds in each of the four matches.
After the Dharamsala Test, he is sobbing as he addresses the media, “I should have listened to Anil bhai. Like always, I believed I was right. But I’ve been proven wrong. Maybe Anil bhai should have been more vocal. I appeal to all the youngsters who are watching, always listen to your elders and respect their wisdom,” Kohli says.
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Indian Premier League takes care of April, May’s news space. Teams have decided to contribute 10 per cent of their revenue to drought relief fund. Gujarat Lions have decided to go green and would only eat and promote vegetarian food and non-veg is off their menu. Dwayne Bravo goes a step ahead and says he has become a teetotaler as a mark of respect for the state of Gujarat and is made Gujarat’s brand ambassador replacing Amitabh Bachchan.
Sports Ministry reveals it would exempt Gujarat Lions from entertainment tax and soon Royal Challengers Bangalore start a campaign called “Clean Cauvery.” IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla finds an opportunity to make the brand IPL more popular and nominates Chennai Super Kings for a three-match play-off to decide who gets to clean Cauvery. On the field, Delhi Daredevils manage to win the title under Ashish Nehra, defeating Kings XI Punjab in the final at Lucknow.
A month later, Kohli lifts the Champions Trophy defeating Pakistan in the final and says he would like to face the neighbours at home in a Test series. In minutes, #AntiNationalKohli replaces #KohliTheGenius on Twitter. In Delhi, Vinod Rai, the Committee of Administrators announces that Shastri would be back as head coach replacing Kumble. “Shastri had to quit last year because he spent three years with the Indian side as team director. As per Lodha recommendations, he has spent the cooling-off period away from the game and he is free to take charge now,” he says.
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In Mumbai, at the annual general meeting, Sourav Ganguly takes charge as the new president of the BCCI, which has adopted a new constitution. Kumble now takes over as the secretary, and the two take a broad and bold decision for the betterment of world cricket.
The BCCI statement sent via email reads: “Keeping in mind the busy schedule of the Indian team in 2018, and the overdose of cricket among the fans, we have decided that India’s proposed tour of Sri Lanka won’t go ahead as per schedule. Instead, with no more series lined-up till December, all the players will feature in the Ranji Trophy.”
This leaves host broadcaster in a spot of bother. As per their deal with the BCCI, they are supposed to air a minimum of six domestic matches and they have honoured the commitment by broadcasting the India A series against Australia A.
With Yoga Premier League, Celebrity Football League taking air space in October-November, the Ranji Trophy will instead be shown live only on Star Sports Future. It is a newly-launched channel and it is available only on Hotstar. The outrage among the public leaves Aditya Verma filing a PIL before the Supreme Court asking for Doordarshan to broadcast the Ranji Trophy.
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With even Rahul Dravid making headlines, Sachin Tendulkar feels he is left behind. The cameras and reporters who used to trail him are nowhere to be seen. Out of the blue, he decides to make a comeback from retirement and would now play for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy.
A stunned Kerala Cricket Association ropes in Greg Chappell as head coach, and Tendulkar pulls out citing injury. Riding on a stellar performance from S Sreesanth, who has been cleared to play by Kerala High Court, Kerala enters the final of the Ranji for the first time and will face Goa.
(The above article a piece of satire and is not intended to offend anyone. All quotes are imaginary It should be taken in the right spirit.)