DELHI'S APALLING PERFORMANCE IN 2024-25 RANJI TROPHY CONTINUES UNABATED

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, Patriot News, New Delhi (Published on November 14, 2024)

As the Delhi cricket team's miserable performance in the RanjiTrophy cricket continues for sixth straight year, the selection committee, in a kneejerk reaction, changed the captain midway (after four matches). Were the selectors under any kind of pressure? Now, Delhi's qualification for quarterfinals hangs by the thread.

Was the change effected with an eye on the upcoming DDCA elections? Why was Yash Dhull, who was removed from captaincy after just one match last year (shocking defeat to minnows Pondicherry) so that he could concentrate on his batting, has again been tasked with vice-captaincy? The questions are many. But the Delhi & District Cricket Association seems fully focussed on the next month's AGM and apex council elections.

Click here to read my story -- tinyurl.com/fz6s44xv

DDCA election in December: Entry of a top Delhi police officer adds spice to campaigning 

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

Click here to read my story, which was originally published in Patriot newspaper (New Delhi) on November 8, 2024 -- tinyurl.com/4d8rfbfe

Rohtas Singh, 'Guru ji' of Indian golf who won more than 100 pro titles between 1970s and 1990s, passes away, unsung, ignored, and forgotten by almost all

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, Patriot

Click here to read the heart-rending longer version of my story (abridged version appeared in Patriot News newspaper, Nov 1-7, 2024) -- https://rb.gy/try7vg

 

Gutsy to the core, jovial off the field — Gautam Gambhir has big shoes to fill as Team India coach

Those who have shared with him the dressing rooms at various points vouch that he was always committed to team’s cause. They say his aggressive image is restricted to the field.

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, ThePrint.com

Published: July 9, 2024 

New Delhi: During the Indian cricket team’s tour of Pakistan in 2006, a functionary of the Pakistan Cricket Board fondly recalled his visit to Gautam Gambhir’s Delhi home the previous year. Shahzad Akhtar was visiting India with the Pakistani team in 2005 and had expressed his desire to meet Gambhir to one of his Indian friends.

His friend took Akhtar to Gambhir’s home. “I can’t forget the one hour I spent with him and remember how hospitable they were. I was quite embarrassed. They, especially Gambhir’s mother, treated us to dry fruits and fruit juices and made us comfortable. Gambhir asked me about Shoaib Akhtar’s speed as he wanted to face him in an international match,” Akhtar told me in Lahore in January 2006 when India and Pakistan were playing the first Test of the series. “And when I met Gambhir here [in Lahore] a few days ago, he immediately recognised me. What I like most about him is his down-to-earth demeanour and his innocent looks.”

Gambhir, 42, was aggressive and temperamental on the field. But the Akhtar visit shows he has a different side when away from the heat and dust of competitive cricket.

 At that stage, Gambhir was still pretty new to international cricket — he had only played 13 Tests and 11 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) by then, having made his ODI debut in 2003 and Test debut in 2004. He would eventually retire from the game in 2018 after an impactful career, having played 58 Tests and 147 ODIs.

 Soon after retirement, Gambhir took the plunge into politics, contesting and winning the East Delhi parliamentary seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.

 But before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Gambhir announced that he would not contest and returned to cricket full time. Even during his five-year political stint, he turned to mentorship of Indian Premier League (IPL) teams. And he has now taken over the reins of the Indian team as coach from Rahul Dravid, just a few weeks after mentoring Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL crown.

Interestingly, Gambhir has never coached a team. Before joining KKR as mentor ahead of the 2024 season, he held the same position with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for two years (2022 and 2023), and on both occasions he steered the new franchise to a creditable third position.

 Smooth transition

 Gambhir’s elevation to the post of India coach has taken the IPL route. He first captained KKR to two titles in 2012 and 2014, besides helping the team to qualify for the knock-out round in 2011, 2016, and 2017. Under his leadership, KKR looked unbeatable at times. In 2014, the Gambhir-led KKR won nine straight IPL matches and six in the now-defunct Champions League T20. He returned to the Kolkata-based franchise in 2024 as a mentor.

 As for his coaching credentials, Gambhir has only his achievements as mentor of the two IPL franchises to show. But, the counter-argument is that as a national coach, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel; it’s more about motivating and guiding players, besides strategising. Even Greg Chappell didn’t have the experience of having coached a national side when he joined as India coach in 2005.

 However, as a player and captain, Gambhir has been phenomenal. In bilateral cricket he has been quite prolific: 4,154 runs in 58 Tests, 5,238 in 147 ODIs, and 932 in 37 T20 Internationals. His contribution to India’s two triumphs — the 2007 T20 World Cup (227 runs, including 75 in the final) and the 2011 World Cup (393, including 97 in the final) — is priceless. In the IPL, he has scored 4,217 runs at a strike rate of 123.88 in 154 matches, with 36 half-centuries (492 boundaries and 59 sixes). So, he has the numbers to back his stature as a competent left-handed opening batsman — and, as a successful captain.

 Temperamental, aggressive

 Some are apprehensive that Gambhir’s temperament may be his undoing as India coach. Others wonder how he would handle the likes of Virat Kohli — with whom he has had on-field flare-ups — and captain Rohit Sharma, who have been his India teammates.

 Those who have shared with him the dressing rooms of various teams — ONGC, Delhi, India Under-19 etc — over the years vouch that he has always been committed to the team’s cause. They say his image of an aggressive cricketer is restricted to the field of play. Off the field, they say, he is jovial and cracks jokes with his teammates.

 Former India left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi, Gambhir’s senior in the ONGC and Delhi teams, is among those who swear by his commitment to the teams he represented.

 “He has been passionate and completely committed to the team’s cause. He has a philosophy – the team comes first and a player can’t put himself ahead of the team’s interests. He respected the team ethics, and never tried to please anyone,” says Sanghvi, who has been manager of the Mumbai Indians for several years. “When as a youngster he came to the Delhi camp, he didn’t tell anyone about his background — that he came from an affluent family. He simply practised with us.”

 Sanghvi, who played 10 ODIs and one Test between 1997-1998 and 2000-2001, underlines Gambhir’s commitment as Delhi captain to pick horses for courses, and back them. “I had stopped playing after the 2006-2007 domestic season, though I hadn’t announced my retirement. Then, when Delhi, under his captaincy, qualified for the knockout round of the Ranji Trophy the next season, he requested me to be ready to play if the pitches at neutral venues, used in those days, encouraged for inclusion of my type of bowler,” he says.

 “I had not even trained for months, but he insisted that I should be ready, if needed — and I did. Although I was eventually not required to play as Delhi went on to win the Ranji Trophy in 2007-2008 — after 16 years — I was part of the dressing room for the semi-finals and the final.”

 Picked & backed players

 As Delhi captain, Gambhir handpicked players and backed them to the hilt. He even copped criticism for picking a few from outside Delhi, ignoring the local talent and claimants. Navdeep Saini, Sumit Narwal, and Kulwant Khejroliya were among those he brought from outside Delhi. Saini went on to represent India in Tests and ODIs.

 Pace bowling-all-rounder Narwal is grateful to Gambhir for getting him to shift from Haryana to Delhi in 2007-2008. Gambhir pitch-forked him straight into the Ranji Trophy semi-finals against Baroda. Narwal didn’t disappoint, and bagged four wickets in the first innings as Delhi won by seven wickets — with Gambhir scoring a match-winning 132 — and stormed into their first final in 11 years.

 “I am thankful to him for going out of the way to pick me for Delhi. On the eve of the semi-final, he told me not to get tense and stick to my natural bowling style,” says Narwal. In the final against Uttar Pradesh, Narwal bagged five wickets as Delhi emerged winners by nine wickets, with Gambhir scoring an unbeaten 130.

 Former India pacer Parvinder Awana is another player who received full backing from Gambhir. “He supported me and gave me the freedom to bowl while fielding at mid-on or mid-off positions,” he says. When Awana made his T20 International debut, against England in 2012, Gambhir was part of the Indian team.

 Gambhir has been a gutsy cricketer — a fighter who conceded no quarter on the field, nor sought any. Even injuries didn’t deter him from putting his best foot forward for the team. “In the 2007-2008 Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium, he badly bruised his palm, but despite the injury and discomfort, he went on to score a century that helped us win the title,” recalls a member of the Delhi support staff.

 Tough on field, jokes outside

 Unlike his on-field image of a serious, aggressive, in-your-face cricketer (remember his famous skirmish with Shahid Afridi) who was ready to pick a fight — or elbow an opponent (Shane Watson in a Delhi Test) — those who know Gambhir well say he is entirely different off the field.

 Gautam Vadhera, a former India Under-19 batsman from Delhi, has closely known, watched and observed Gambhir since their days at New Delhi’s Modern School. They later played together for ONGC and later Vadhera, several years senior to Gambhir at school, watched him as an administrator as well.

 Vadhera says Gambhir is a misunderstood person in several respects. “We go back a long way, and would have long cricketing discussions at school. In contrast to Gautam’s on-field image, he is jovial off it and even cracks jokes, though he is not very talkative and is shy. In the evenings, he is a completely changed person [from the one] you see on the field during the day,” he says.

A couple of years ago, I asked Gambhir about his on-field image. “It doesn’t bother me, honestly. That’s the kind of person I am and have always been. It has always helped me, and it has got the best out of me. So, I don’t have to change according to what other people think about me. I’ll change only if it is not working for me, or if it’s hampering my performance. Whether I am intense or aggressive or temperamental or non-emotional or sensitive – all these emotions don’t really matter. All that matters is what works for you. See my performance, not the kind of person I am,” he said emphatically.

Gambhir credits Rahul Dravid for teaching him to be calm while batting together for India. “He instilled in me a lot of calmness on the cricket field. Looking at him just from the non-striker’s end, just his aura and his persona, gave me a lot of calmness. That’s why we had some massive partnerships in international cricket,” he told me a few years ago.

Attention to detail

Gambhir is a well-organised and punctual person. Even when he played and lived out of his suitcase, changing hotels after every match, his hotel room would always look neat and clean.

“He would not carry many bats for matches; just three or four. His kitbag would always be inside the wardrobe. The clothes he would wear the next day for the match would be hung in the wardrobe, and his other stuff would always be inside the suitcase. He does everything to pin-point accuracy – from taking food to medicine to waking/running on the treadmill, and practice etc. He is so well-organised that he seems robotic,” says someone who has known Gambhir closely for years.

“And he continues to train and remain fit even after quitting cricket almost six years ago. When he was playing, his weight was around 83kg, and it is now under 80kg. When he had to travel a lot as a member of Parliament (2019-2024), he would keep count of his steps taken and complete the day’s quota, if required, on the treadmill.”

 The Langer connection

 When Gambhir was dropped from the Indian Test team after the home series against England in 2012, he sought help from former Australia batsman-turned-coach Justin Langer, having met him during Champions League T20. He flew down to Australia and spent some time with the left-hander. During his stint in Australia, he did kick-boxing twice a week as part of a training regime.

 Although Gambhir was recalled to the Indian team in 2014, he was only picked for four more Tests before being dropped for the last time.

 Gambhir and Langer seem to have forged a close friendship long ago. While leaving Lucknow Super Giants in 2023, after mentoring the IPL franchise for two years, he recommended Langer’s name to the team owner and the Australian was appointed in Gambhir’s place at LSG. “Although he left Lucknow for KKR, Gambhir’s relationship with the LSG owners has become stronger, if anything,” stresses the source.

 Now, Gambhir will need to build such strong bonds with the Indian team in the dressing room, too.

 (The writer has covered cricket for over three decades, based in New Delhi. He tweets at @AlwaysCricket)

War, fund crunch, dusty pitches: Afghanistan’s 22-year cricket journey from underdogs to giant-slayers

Afghanistan’s incredible 22-yr journey in top class cricket is eventful. It has been interspersed by overlapping of sport & politics. But cricket has overcome all hurdles & survived

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, The Print

New Delhi, November 26, 2023: “Maine kuch nahi kiya. Main toh tourist hun; guide hun. Pyare log hain. Yeh dekh rahe ho? (My contribution is nothing. I am a tourist; a guide. They are lovely people. Are you seeing this?” Ajay Jadeja was talking about the Afghanistan cricketers smearing the cake on their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi’s face after the seven-wicket win over the Netherlands in the World Cup in Lucknow.  

Jadeja, a former India ODI captain and mentor of the Afghanistan team for the World Cup, and the Afghan cricketers had just returned to the hotel to loud drum beats. A tastefully prepared cake by the hotel, with ‘Congratulations’ written over it, awaited the team in the hotel lobby. 

Shahidi tried to escape his teammates, but was overpowered. Within seconds after that, Jadeja and the delirious players disappeared into their rooms, leaving the hotel staff to clean the floor.  

It was Afghanistan’s fourth win in seven matches, the vanquished included three previous winners — defending champions England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The win over the Netherlands gave the hope of making it to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time. Although they eventually failed, Afghanistan left an indelible imprint on the tournament — and the promise of better performance in the future.

Afghanistan’s incredible 22-year journey in top class cricket, since being granted affiliate membership by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001, is eventful, to say the least. It has been interspersed by an overlapping of the sport and politics. But cricket has overcome all hurdles and setbacks, and survived in the war-ravaged country.

An unforgettable World Cup 

Afghanistan cricket bloomed like never before in the World Cup, as they demolished the three former champions exceeding everyone’s expectations, perhaps their own as well. In all, they won four of their nine league matches, but missed  the semi-finals by a whisker. They finished sixth with eight points, the same as the fifth-placed Pakistan, but had a slightly inferior net run rate.

“Credit to the players on how they have come out, reacted, and played. They have done really well. They are a very good team; they had a very strong bowling line-up. But batting is now their main strength and it has helped them punch above their weight. No one gave them a chance to come close to the semi-finals. They have lifted their game and the challenge would now be to go forward and play matches with the top five-six teams regularly,” former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who helped Afghanistan hire India’s Milap Mewada as batting coach for the World Cup, told The Print.  

Afghanistan’s litmus test came in the match against Australia, as they needed a win to brighten chances of a semi-finals berth. But Glenn Maxwell, with his astonishing double century, poured water on the aspirations of Shahidi’s team.

“Afghanistan should have played one more fast bowler. They should not have left Fazalhaq Farooqui out. Bowling at night at Wankhede can get tough, and here you need a fast bowler. Obviously, that [picking four spinners] was a tactical mistake. When you go in with that strategy, you want the spinners to squeeze the opposition and that didn’t happen. And, fielding let them down at crucial junctures. Also, Afghanistan got pretty excited,” Pathan said.  

The defeat meant that Afghanistan needed to beat South Africa in their last league match and pray for other results to go in their favour. But that didn’t happen. For the time being,  they have to be content with the $260,000 prize money won in this tournament.  

Journey so far  

Established in 1995, the Afghanistan Cricket Federation — later known as the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) —  became an associate member of the Asian Cricket Council in 2003. It was made an affiliate member, the third and the lowest rung, by the ICC in 2008, followed by associate membership in 2014, before getting the full Test status in 2017.

Afghanistan earned the official ODI status in April 2009, and in 2015 they qualified for the 50-over World Cup, hosted in Australia and New Zealand. The 2023 World Cup was their third, having also competed in the 2019 edition in England.

 Afghanistan have qualified for the T20 World Cup seven times, starting 2012, including the next year’s tournament in the West Indies and the US. “The game development in the country is unique. The increasing number of cricket clubs and registered players is making the context very much inclusive. The grounds and academy development has made the game accessible to the youth in the country,” the ICC says. 

 Although funds are an issue, both the ICC, through its funding of developing nations, and India have done their bit. “The cricket boards and governments of the two countries have good relations, and we will try to maintain this friendship,” Azizullah Fazli, a former ACB chairman, said in 2019. This, coupled with assistance from successive Afghanistan governments, has helped the ACB to develop infrastructure, though the facilities still need a lot of improvement.

Afghanistan’s journey to their recent World Cup success has an important stop – India. In 2015, the ACB signed an MoU with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority to use Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex as its ‘home ground’. They also organised camps/training sessions in Bengaluru and Chennai, besides playing bilateral ‘home’ international matches in Dehradun, Lucknow, and Greater Noida.

Afghanistan players found a home-like atmosphere in Dehradun. While staying there, they also went to Mussoorie and Manali for river rafting in 2018. They also feasted on Indian cuisine. Their ‘home series’ against Bangladesh in Dehradun coincided with Ramadan, and their hotel took special care of the fasting cricketers. The weather suited them perfectly. 

“In places like Jalalabad and Kandahar, the weather is exactly the same as in Dehradun. So, we can’t make out if we are playing in Afghanistan or Dehradun. It is very advantageous for us,” then captain Asghar Afghan said during their series against Ireland in 2019.

After their MoU with India expired, the ACB were in talks with the BCCI for extension when the Corona pandemic in 2020 stopped all activities, said a source.

The other ‘homes’

Since various national teams have declined to tour Afghanistan — partly due to security reasons and partly due to a lack of sufficient infrastructure — the ACB has been organising the team’s training camps and playing matches around the world. They have played bilateral international matches in Sharjah, Greater Noida, Dehradun, Lucknow, Abu Dhabi, and Colombo and Hambantota in Sri Lanka.  

In 2010, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium became their base. The ACB signed an MoU with the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2013 for ‘fast track’ development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup, where they registered their only win over Scotland.

Under this agreement, the Afghan team trained at the National Cricket Academy at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium while some players, like ace off-spinner Mohammad Nabi, also participated in Pakistan’s domestic tournaments and the Pakistan Super League.

Journeymen cricketers

Despite the hardships and the disadvantage of not having the home advantage, Afghanistan cricketers have stayed afloat. Many of them have been plying their trade in the various T20 leagues – from the Indian Premier League to The Hundred in England.

For example, Nabi, their senior most national cricketer, has represented at least 20 teams in all the major T20 leagues while leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the most recognised Afghan cricketer, has played for at least 14 teams. Both middle order batsman Najibullah Zadaran and pacer Naveen-ul-Haq have featured for 12 T20 sides, including a couple in the Pakistan Super League, while wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz has turned out for 11.

These T20 leagues have given them the opportunity to earn some money and improve lifestyle. Jodhpur-based commentator Devender Kumar, who has been visiting Afghanistan to cover cricket for radio and TV for six years, has seen the change from close. “After getting into the various leagues, many cricketers’ lifestyles have changed.” 

In spite of exhibiting – and exposing — their skill around the world, these players haven’t lost their sharpness – notwithstanding video analysts, who bisect every aspect of the game. “Video analysis helps you get an idea, create a film in the mind, of bowlers and batsmen. You’ve to fight the battle on your own in the field,” Rashid said a couple of years ago. “For example, Virat [Kohli] bhai is making a lot of runs and everything. And there are many video analysts, who are analysing that he is weak here or there, but he is still playing his cover drives as usual. If everyone has assessed his strong points, why then bowlers pitch the ball in the area from where they are hit?”

Another source of income for the local cricketers is the popular variant of the game — tape-ball cricket. It is very popular, particularly in Afghanistan’s provinces. And decent prize money could also be earned from it and that acts as a morale booster for youngsters.

“In the recently concluded Afghanistan Tape Ball Cricket League, we gave 1,000 Afghani (Indian Rs 1,200 approx) to the man of the match and 10,000 Afghani (Rs 12,000) to the man of the tournament. Twenty of the 33 provinces play tape-ball cricket. In the tournaments played at the provincial level, the winning team gets 10,000 Afghani,” Afghanistan Tapeball Cricket (ATC) president Sheer Rahman Khater told The Print. “ATC is registered with our national sports ministry and also with the International Tapeball Cricket Council.”

Apart from earning their livelihood from cricket, at times Afghanistan players assist their families run business. Some of these businesses involve dry fruits and gems, while others are into agriculture and animal husbandry, says Devender Kumar. “Some years ago, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had told me that his father is an academician and that he has written 44 books. Some other players’ families are into business,” he informs.

The Taliban factor

Cricket is one of the sports that Taliban has allowed to be played since taking over the reins in August 2021. Among the other sports that continue to be played are football, karate, volleyball, and the national sport buzkashi. But the women’s cricket team has been barred. This triggered a crisis as Cricket Australia unilaterally cancelled a scheduled three-match ODI series in March in the UAE, though Australia played Afghanistan in the Twenty20 World Cup last year (and just managed to avoid defeat). The ACB said it was “extremely disappointed and saddened by the pathetic statement” of Cricket Australia.

No one is willing to talk openly about the restriction on women’s cricket in Afghanistan. A source, however, said that Afghans were angry at Australia’s decision. “People took the series cancellation as an affront and the men’s team apparently vowed to defeat Australia in the World Cup in India, though that didn’t happen,” he said. “It is said that talks are on between the Taliban government and the ACB over the issue of women’s cricket, raising hopes.”

Significantly for Afghanistan, the ICC hasn’t stopped the funding. This decision is consistent with its policy of not reprimanding/penalising a member country when politics overrule the concerned national cricket board, like it happens with India-Pakistan bilateral cricket. 

India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket for almost 11 years, and the ICC Future Tours Programme (2023-2027), too, doesn’t include any bilateral series between them. But the ICC has not taken any punitive action. India and Pakistan have, however, always played against each other in ICC tournaments. 

Winning hearts before heartbreak

Maxwell was single-handedly responsible for Afghanistan’s defeat in the World Cup, as he smashed an unbeaten 201 off just 128 balls to help his team overhaul the 292-run target, made possible by opener Ibrahim Zadran’s brilliant unbeaten 143-ball 129 – the first Wold Cup ton by an Afghan. Maxwell batted for a long while with cramps. Afghanistan’s inexperience showed as they failed to bowl tactically to the injured Maxwell.

Pathan blames the team selection for the loss. “When it comes to having experience and holding the nerve, Afghanistan will get better with time,” he predicts.

Afghanistan, who always bank on world class spinners like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, showed a much improved batting performance. This was starkly evident in six of the nine matches where Afghanistan raked up 240-plus totals. Two of these totals were made while batting second in winning causes.

Pathan credits Mewada, a former India Under-19 player, for turning Afghanistan’s batting unit around. “He worked with them for four-five months before the World Cup. And if you see the difference in their batting, it’s difficult to believe. All the guys, starting with Rahmat Shah, love and respect him as they know he works really hard. Milap’s good work has gone unnoticed, though.”   

Afghanistan’s batting flopped in just two matches – against Bangladesh and New Zealand – and that eventually cost them a spot in the semi-finals.

Mewada said he could not comment as he is still under contact with the ACB. The other Indian – apart from Jadeja – who formed a part of Afghanistan’s support staff was the head physiotherapist, Dr Prasanth Panchada, who has been with the team for a couple of years.

The road ahead

Pathan says Afghanistan need to play a lot more matches to gain experience and strength. “The challenge for teams like Afghanistan is to go to the next level and to be a dominating Asian side. First of all, they need to have a home base where they need to play matches where they could have the advantage of familiar conditions and pitches, like other countries have, where their spinners could come into play. This home base could be anywhere – it could be the UAE – and identified with the help of other national cricket boards,” he says.

“Going forward, the other boards would play a huge role in Afghanistan’s development and progress. Maybe they can sign an MoU for five or ten years. If that happens, it would do a world of good to Afghanistan. It will be very, very crucial — utmost important for them to have a home away from home, as they can’t play in Afghanistan at present.”  

Some good news came immediately after the World Cup. Afghanistan will play a three-match T20 series in India in January. Hopefully, for Afghanistan this will be the start of many more series against the established teams. 

(The writer is a journalist based in Delhi and has covered cricket for three decades. He tweets at @AlwaysCricket)

Exclusive Interview: I will contest the president's post of the Hyderabad Cricket Association in upcoming election, need like-minded people in my group, says Azharuddin

BY QAISER MOHAMMAD ALI, WWW.THESOUTHFIRST.COM

PUBLISHED: august 2, 2023

After a diligently prepared report on the brazen and widespread conflict of interest in Hyderabad cricket barred those in the conflict zone from voting and contesting in the upcoming Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) elections, outgoing president Mohammed Azharuddin declared that he would contest for the top position again.

He will now need fresh faces in his team as his previous team members are among those barred from contesting.

Azharuddin was elected president of HCA in 2019, after being denied an opportunity to contest in the previous election held in 2017 on seemingly specious grounds. And when he was elected president in 2019, most of his three-year tenure was consumed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the rest of the time, he was left defending a spate of court cases that were unleashed against him, directly or indirectly.

Click the below link to read the full story.  

https://thesouthfirst.com/news/interview-i-will-contest-hca-election-need-like-minded-people-in-my-group-mohammed-azharuddin/

Shakeup at Hyderabad Cricket Association: ex-Justice L. Nageswara Rao bars officials of 57 clubs from contesting, voting in upcoming elections

BY QAISER MOHAMMAD ALI, WWW.THESOUTHFIRST.COM

Published:July 31, 2023

In an unprecedented decision taken to tackle the brazen conflict of interest in Hyderabad cricket, all existing executive committee members of 57 clubs affiliated to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) were on Monday, 31 July, barred from either voting or contesting in the upcoming HCA election.

The elections are due, but the dates haven’t been announced so far. The one-man committee appointed by the Supreme Court in February to run the affairs of the messy HCA and clear the path for elections will now appoint a returning officer who will decide on the election dates.

In a damning 46-page report, retired Supreme Court judge L Nageswara Rao has come down heavily on the individuals and families who own or administer multiple clubs, giving rise to rampant conflict of interest.

Click the below link to read the full story.  

https://thesouthfirst.com/telangana/shakeup-at-hyderabad-cricket-association-justice-rao-bars-officials-of-57-clubs-from-contesting-voting-in-upcoming-elections/

Why Indian money rules world cricket

Millions of Indian cricket fans across the globe are the real foundation of the Indian cricket board's financial power 

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

February 17, 2022

At the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega player auction on February 12-13, 2022, some of India’s top business houses splurged an eye-popping Rs.551.7 crore (about $73 million) on buying 204 cricketers, including 67 overseas players, for the 15th edition of the world's biggest cricket league that is eyed by aspiring cricketers globally. A small-built, swashbuckling batsman-cum-wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, just 23, smiled all the way to the bank as the most expensive buy at Rs.15.25 crore ($2.30 million) to become an instant millionaire.

Launched in 2008, IPL is the world’s lucrative T20 cricket tournament, with even more prize money for the winning team than the official World Cup organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The winner of the IPL 2021 received Rs 20 crore ($2.60 million) while the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 winner, Australia, got $1.6 million (Rs 12 crore).

 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which owns the IPL and organizes it, was already the richest national cricket body in the world before it launched the competition in 2008. Today, the IPL media rights have become the most fertile source of earnings for the BCCI, followed by the media rights of the national team.

Turnaround

The decisive turnaround in the BCCI’s fortunes came in 1994 when it sold the first-ever TV rights to TransWorld International (TWI) in a historic deal worth $20 million (Rs.150 crore) for five years, from 1994-1999. The board had been in the red until then. This deal triggered a sudden spurt of growth in its coffers. Since then it hasn’t looked back. Riding on its financial might, the BCCI has today become a seemingly unshakable sporting powerhouse and dictates terms to world cricket.

So how did the BCCI become the cricketing superpower? What are the reasons for it ruling the cricket world without any virtual challenge?

Broadly, there are five major reasons that make the BCCI the undisputed king. In short, they are: India’s highly unexpected 1983 World Cup triumph: it popularized the game in the country like never before, with millions of sports fans switching their sporting interests to cricket from hockey. India had just three years earlier clinched their eighth and last field hockey gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games. 

Cricket received a further boost when the national team won four major one-day titles, including the 1983 World Cup, between 1983 and 1985. This provided cricket with unprecedented popularity in India.

A few years later, cable TV made its foray into India in the early 90s and that gave the game another fillip. The BCCI-TWI deal had followed the liberalization of the market by the Indian government in the early 1990s. By today’s high standards of the TV rights income, the $20 million deal in 1994 looks minuscule. Nevertheless, this deal signaled the opening of the floodgates for the BCCI, as it became evident in subsequent bids. 

Tons of money

In September 2017, STAR India Ltd quoted a colossal Rs 16,347.50 crore ($2.55 billion) to win IPL media rights for five years (2018-2023). And in April 2018, STAR India Ltd won the BCCI’s consolidated broadcast rights (of the national team) for five years (2018-23) for a humongous Rs 6,138.1 crore ($818 million). All this accumulated to make the BCCI the world’s richest national cricket body, worth a huge Rs 18,011.84 crore ($2.4 billion), as on March 31, 2021.

The other significant event, in terms of a constant and prolific source of income for the BCCI was the launch of the IPL in 2008. The T20 tournament enhanced not only the bank balance of the BCCI but also added to its might in the boardrooms globally, within the ICC and outside. Here, credit is also due to the BCCI officials, starting with its late President N.K.P. Salve, who in 1983 took up the Indian cricket board's cause forcefully at the ICC and other forums.

The gradual building up of a match-winning men’s national team, comprising players who became role models and national icons, helped BCCI reap rich dividends. Over the years, superstars like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh have not just been successful cricketers, but they have also added the crucial glam quotient, so essential for marketing a product -- Indian cricket. Their presence since the early 1980s has attracted corporates and TV companies to patronize the national team by offering more and more money to the BCCI to enhance its kitty.

Fans are key

However, millions of Indian cricket fans across the globe are the real foundation of the BCCI’s financial power. The sale of TV rights/sponsorship is directly linked with this global fan base. When billions switch on their TV sets or mobile phones to watch India’s matches or the IPL, the advertiser gets more than he had bargained for. For example, advertisement hoardings of a particular brand of Indian incense sticks and a popular spice brand are often seen at in-stadia hoardings in far-off places like the West Indies and Australia. They advertise everywhere because they know that when a billion Indians would watch matches they would get their returns. In today’s strong presence of social media, the sponsors have also realized that they get free publicity when match videos are replayed umpteen times on millions of mobile phones.

Besides their online presence, Indian fans are also present physically at grounds across the world, cheering and supporting the Indian team/cricketers. The Indian diaspora plays a crucial role too in lending support to Indian cricket in multiple ways. Recently, when the online booking opened in Australia for the T20 World Cup, to be played there in October-November, all the tickets for the India-Pakistan encounter were sold out in five minutes. With a significant Indian population residing in Australia, one can be sure that they too would have purchased many of those tickets. The BCCI draws its strength, financial and otherwise, from these sources.

BCCI clout

Money has provided the BCCI the power to influence world cricket. For about 10 years, about 70 percent -- some people claim it is 80 percent -- of the ICC’s revenues have been coming from its sponsors that are based out of India. This was a point that former BCCI president N. Srinivasan encashed successfully while proposing a new money distribution formula, known as the ‘Big Three’, for the ICC a few years ago. Since the India-based sponsors provide a huge chunk, he argued, the BCCI should get the lion’s share of the ICC’s distribution. He successfully convinced England and Australia to support him. While some countries opposed it, the 2013 IPL betting-fixing scandal reared its ugly head and the Supreme Court of India told Srinivasan to keep off the administration. That led to the BCCI replacing him with Shashank Manohar as the ICC Chairman.

The BCCI never got what Srinivasan sought for it. Nevertheless, the BCCI continues to hold sway mainly because of two reasons: its wealth combined with the IPL, which provides a big source of income for the world’s cricketers, and also for the sponsors based in India.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Rameez Raja told his country’s Senate Standing Committee in October that India’s clout in the ICC, based on the world body’s sponsorship money generated from India-based multinational companies, was impacting Pakistan cricket. He said that “90 percent” – this could be a bit exaggerated – of the ICC revenues came from these companies, and that "if tomorrow the Indian Prime Minister decides he will not allow any funding to Pakistan, this cricket board can collapse".

No doubt this was a bit of a hyperbole but indeed India-based multinationals are presently the lifeline of the ICC. At the same time, it must be remembered that the BCCI has little or no role to play in these companies supporting the ICC. This is something people tend to overlook. If big business over the years have been pumping money into the ICC (and BCCI), it is because of the reasons above – the huge Indian fan base across the world, successful and glamorous Indian team/cricketers, and global TV viewership of matches, primarily involving the Indian team.

(This story was first published on South Asia Monitor website)

The hat-trick that moved India's PM: Revisiting Azharuddin's 37th anniversary of three straight Test tons

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, News9Live.com, Feb 1, 2022

After remaining unbeaten on 98 at the end of the first day, a relaxed Mohammed Azharuddin slept early that evening while just a few kilometres away in Kanpur, a diehard fan Mohammed Meraj Shamsi, aged 37, kept twisting and turning in his bed the entire night. When it became too much to bear for the bag manufacturer, he called up Azharuddin early next morning at the Indian team hotel and virtually pleaded with him to complete his century that day, February 1, 1985.

After the first day's play Azharuddin received many calls, and all had only one request: score at least two more runs. A century would make him the proprietor of a unique record – three consecutive centuries in Tests since debut, a feat that no one had attained in 108 years of Test cricket. With mobile phones still 10 years away from being introduced in India, calls to cricketers used to be transferred to their hotel rooms without ado.

Having burst on to the Indian cricket scene like a dazzling star, just two months earlier, and having become only the fourth batsman ever, after Bill Ponsford, Doug Walters, and Alvin Kallicharan, to score two tons in his career's first two Tests, history beckoned the wristy magician Azharuddin – no wonder his fans were anxious.

Green Park was pregnant with expectation and nervousness, though Azharuddin and his father Azizuddin in far-off Hyderabad were not. Will he get those two runs as India needed a win to square the five-Test series against England who were leading 2-1?

Azharuddin slept early that evening, and slept well, after attending to those anxious fan calls. In the fourth over of the second morning, Azharuddin played pacer Neil Foster off his legs behind square for two to climb the unscaled peak in the 1,011th match of Test history.

"I wasn't aware of the impending record. I came to know about it only after I returned unbeaten on 98 on the first day, when people started talking about it. I was only interested in going there and batting. I was not into records etc., anyway," the 58-year-old Azharuddin told News9 in an exclusive interview on the 37th anniversary of his record. 

"I was extremely fortunate to score those three hundreds on the trot. For me, that was more important than thinking of anything else. Playing for India at that moment was an important thing for me," said the stylish batsman known for mastering the on-side. 

In his first two Tests, in Calcutta and Madras, Azharuddin had batted at No.5. However, in the fifth and final Test of the series in Kanpur he and Dilip Vengsarkar, who was batting at No.3, were told to swap positions. "I was happy to bat at that position because it was a big responsibility for me, replacing Dilip bhai at No.3 where he had done so well," he said. 

With Ian Botham opting out of the tour and Graham Gooch and John Emburey serving a ban for visiting the ostracised South Africa with a rebel team, David Gower's English attack in Kanpur comprised Norman Cowans, Neil Foster, Pat Pocock, Phil Edmonds, and Chris Cowdrey. "It was a good attack. The ball was moving in Kanpur; even in Calcutta, where I scored a century on Test debut in December, the ball had moved a lot. They should have played pacer Richard Ellison in Kanpur. But they opted for two spinners [Pocock and Edmonds]. Since I was in good form, runs were easy to come," Azharuddin averred. 

The five-foot-eleven batsman distinctly remembers the conditions at Green Park. "The wicket was double paced. That year, even in February it was very, very cold. Kanpur being an industrial area, there was so much smog and in winter it used to become dark and gloomy during the day. However, since I was in good form I continued to bat well," Azharuddin recalled. 

"There were a lot of trees in and around the stadium and sometimes it was hard to spot the ball while fielding." 

At what stage did Azharuddin start believing he would complete the century? "I was playing very freely, though not at a fast pace as it was not easy to score runs against the moving ball. Maybe around 80, I realised that I could score another century. At the same time, I didn't put myself under pressure. Maybe that is why everything went off smoothly," he reasoned. 

As the English bowlers, particularly Edmonds, placed the shackles around the batsmen, Azharuddin was tied down – he scored just eight runs in the final hour on the first day. He admits if he had accelerated up the run rate, he could have completed the ton on day one itself. "When I was on 98 on the first day, maybe I should have accelerated the scoring," he rues. 

Nevertheless, reaching the coveted mark was a "very happy feeling" for Azharuddin. "A lot of people from the crowd ran on to the ground to congratulate me. It was an incredibly special occasion. However, the most important thing was that after I got out, I received a call from Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. I had to walk through the ground during lunch time to reach the press box to receive the call," remembering the moment proudly. 

"The Prime Minister said, 'very well done,' and that 'you have made every citizen of India proud.' He wished me good luck. For me, that was the icing on the cake. I had scored a hundred, fine. But the call from the Prime Minister was an immensely proud moment," he said. After that, Azharuddin received many congratulatory calls and attended many felicitation functions. 

Azharuddin spoke to his father and other family members in the evening. "We didn't even have a telephone at home at the time. So, I don't know where I spoke to my father. He said: 'Bahut achcha khele, bete (well played, son)'," he still remembers. "I've always been thankful to the Almighty Allah that everything went off well. I worked hard and he gave me the results. I remembered my late [maternal] grandfather on the occasion. My parents prayed for me while all the players in the Indian team and coaches were extremely helpful." 

Azharuddin's father said he used to listen to the commentary on a small transistor. "I was not nervous when he was unbeaten on 98. I had trust and faith in Allah. When Azhar returned to Hyderabad and was driven in an open jeep from the airport to our home in Vittalwadi, our gali was chock-a-block with people," Azizuddin, 92, told News9. 

In Kanpur, Azharuddin scored 122 (374 minutes, 270 balls, 16x4s) and 54 not out. Earlier, he had slammed 110 (443 minutes, 324 balls, 10x4s) on his debut in the third Test in Calcutta, and 48 and 105 in the fourth in Madras, for the series aggregate of 439 runs. 

Thirty-seven years after that magical knock, Azharuddin says he was living a dream. "It was like a dream run, a fairy tale. Everything was looking quite easy," he reminisces. 

Shamsi was so mesmerised by Azharuddin's magical batting that he formed an 'Azharuddin Lovers' Club' in Kanpur and felicitated him several times. "The reason we formed the club was that we were greatly impressed by Azhar's stylish batting. Also, he was a genuinely nice and friendly person. He endeared himself to his fans, and his admirers in Kanpur loved him much," 74-year-old Shamsi tells News9. 

But the night of January 31 was most uncomfortable for Shamsi. "I spent the night very uneasily in bed, and just couldn't stop myself from calling him up the next morning in his hotel room. I told him about my condition the previous night and requested him to complete his century at any cost. He eventually did it," he recalled. 

Thus, a long-lasting bond between Azharuddin and his Kanpur fans was established. "I went to Green Park and met him after he established the record. We became close friends, though he was much younger to me. He invited me to his marriage, which I attended in Hyderabad. I presented him with a wall clock with a unique dial," Shamsi said. 

Businessman Anas Baqai, a former Kanpur-based journalist, also fell for Azharuddin's stylish batting. "Like there are many fans of Virat Kohli today, there was a different hysteria about Azhar bhai at that time. He supported the fans' club and used to send messages through letters. We felt proud to be members of the club. When he won the Arjuna Award (1986) and Padma Shri (1988), he was specially invited to Kanpur and felicitated," he recalled. 

Shamsi also remembers the occasion distinctly. "I told Azhar to attend our function and then proceed to Delhi to receive the award. Our club presented him Rs.21,000 as a token of love and appreciation. The club also organised a cricket tournament for some time," he informed. "Whenever Azhar would visit Kanpur, he would come to my house and have a meal. Being a Hyderabadi, he loved biryani, chap, roasted chicken and sewain (sweets)." 

Azharuddin went on to play 99 Tests and score 6,215 runs, comprising 22 centuries. Interestingly, he played three Tests in Kanpur and scored a century in each one. Of the 48 venues he has played Test matches at, he scored 543 runs in Kanpur. Only at Eden Gardens, Calcutta, has he scored more runs (860) and tons (5). 

"Kanpur has always been incredibly special. I scored three centuries in three Tests there. So, it is a special place for me, and I really enjoyed playing there," points out Azharuddin. It was also at Green Park that he registered his top Test score – 199, against Sri Lanka in 1986.

(This interview was published on News9Live website on February 1, 2022)