Eden Park in Auckland is one of the oldest sports venues in New Zealand. It has been hosting events since 1900. What catches the eye before entering the stadium is a breathtaking statue, of an airborne figure. The plaque accompanying it reads: "Michael Jones. 1987. Scorer of the first try of the first rugby World Cup." It also acknowledges the photographer whose work inspired the installation.
Old Trafford, the home ground of Manchester United the football club, has a statue of the Holy Trinity - Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law - just outside the entrance. It's a must-stop for visitors from all over the world. They form a queue to get it photographed or pose for selfies in front of it. It's rare to find a moment when nobody is around it.
To understand Bishan Singh Bedi's outburst against the rulers of Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) - who have decided to have a statue of its late president and politician Arun Jaitley at Feroz Shah Kotla which has already been renamed after him - it's important to know how this works. Iconic sports stadiums the world over try to preserve memories of personalities who contribute to the growth of their sports. Essentially, they are star players. That's because it's they who enhance the game's popularity by leaving an indelible imprint in the collective consciousness of fans. They inspire children to take up sports.
This is why Melbourne Cricket Ground has statutes of cricketing luminaries like Don Bradman, Keith Miller, Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne and others. These are not restricted to cricket. There are also statues of some of Australia's Olympic medal-winning athletes, other than Australian Rules Football players and rugby stars. Sydney Cricket Ground has statues of Fred Spofforth, Richie Benaud, Steve Waugh and Michael Clarke. Lord's has WG Grace, Sabina Park in Jamaica has George Hedley, Kensington Oval in Barbados has Garry Sobers lifting the ball on the on-side. These are just a few examples, of many scattered around the world. Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium is named after legendary player Santiago Bernabeu.
Bedi’s outburst at the proposal to have Jaitley’s statue at Delhi’s premier cricket stadium is not only against DDCA. It is also against the refusal of India’s cricket officials to recognise and honour the contribution of cricketers. One does come across stands and gates named after them in a handful of centres. But by and large, most of the cities that host international cricket are apathetic to this idea. As far as statues go, there is one of Prof DB Deodhar at the stadium in Pune. Another of CK Nayudu in Vizag. It’s difficult to recall if any other cricketer has been honoured in this fashion anywhere else.
"Since DDCA doesn't understand this universal cricket culture, I need to walk out of it. I can't be part of a stadium which has got its priorities so grossly wrong and where administrators get precedence over the cricketers. Please bring down my name from the stand with immediate effect. You needn't worry about me or my legacy. God Almighty has been very kind to me to keep me alive with my cricketing convictions. I don't wish my strength of character to be maligned by my silence or association to this unsporting act," Bedi wrote to DDCA president and Jaitley's son Rohan.
Bedi's letter doesn’t mention how widespread this practice is.
A lot of cricket venues are named after administrators: MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The stadium in Ranchi has a pavilion named after Jharkhand State Cricket Association's former boss, Amitabh Choudhary. Names of politicians — Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Indira Gandhi, Madhavrao Scindia — are prominent. RK Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi is named after a former president of the All India Tennis Association. There is no cricket stadium named after cricketers, nothing to acknowledge and institutionalise the achievements of Prakash Padukone or PT Usha. Dhyan Chand is fortunate. There is a hockey stadium named after him.
But then, all this might end up being a futile exercise. Cricket administrators in India, or administrators of any sport for that matter, have always cared more about their own betterment than that of the sports. Barring exceptions, this is a historical truth. It is no surprise that an institution synonymous with corruption would choose to have a statue of Jaitley rather than that of Bedi or Virender Sehwag. It won’t surprise if the DDCA accepts Bedi's request to cancel his membership and change the name of the stand named after him, instead of paying heed to what he is saying and trying to get at.
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