Cricket no gentleman’s game now
It is exactly 136 years since the first game of test cricket was played at Melbourne cricket ground in Australia. The gentleman’s game, as it has always been known, has come a long way since its humble origin in England, breaking itself into aggressive formats like the one-day and 20-20 games over the years. But in the process, this sporting event has drifted into chaos. Advent of unaccounted money and technology has drastically altered the cricketing landscape throughout the globe. And now in a country like India where millions still go to bed hungry, you have a cricket tournament called the Indian Premier League (IPL), which remains the most attractive medium of legalizing ill-gotten money in the country as well as making hard cash through betting cum fixing. Worst still, this 20-over format, known as T20 game, patronized by influential politicians of all hues has little to do with cricket and can be best described as a reality show of sickening vulgarity involving megabucks, glamour, sex, greed, politics, drugs and backroom dealings. Drunken crowds, belly popping dancing girls — popularly nicknamed cheerleaders — has offended many cricketing heroes’ purist sensibilities in such a manner that one of the greatest Indian cricketers of all time, Bishen Singh Bedi did not hesitate to raise his voice in protest. He referred to T20 cricket as the most vulgar expression of the game. Unfortunately, not all of Bedi’s ilks are harmless eccentric as most of the former cricketers prefer to stay mum in return of hefty earnings from match commentary — majority of them being fixed — and writing expert columns with clearance from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) of course.
The constant denigration of the game’s reputation has hardly mattered to either the board officials or the government of the day. But then, when a minister in the government is the chief operator of this money-making business, nothing better can be expected. It is indeed unfortunate that when the entire nation is seething over a rise in rape incidents and other physical crimes on women, a fairly influential member of the Cabinet is engaged in overseeing an event that has introduced semi-nude cheerleaders to add romance in the sporting arena.
Half clad attractive ladies are embedded with each competing teams and tasked with celebrating the performance by jumping, stunting and dancing whenever a batsman hits an over-boundary or a bowler takes a wicket. True, cheerleading in sports is not a new phenomenon, as it has existed in several countries after originating in the United States. But is it appropriate for a serving minister to align himself with an event that evoked a lot of controversies, both financially and ethically? How does it feel like, watching a politician of Mahatma Gandhi’s Congress party thoroughly enjoying the visual of girls swaying spectators on the ground, as he leans back into a resplendent sofa in the VIP enclave with a satisfying expression? Is Congress President Sonia Gandhi ready to shed her famous veneer of reticence to take disciplinary action before this cricketing scandal dent her party’s electoral fortune? The sooner this realization creep in within the Congress leadership, that gyrating body movements of gorgeous ladies casting magic spell on politicians does offend our national sensibilities, the better it is for the Indian society.
There is not an iota of doubt that the mother of all corruptions gripping the country, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure, is the cricket scandal involving IPL. Transaction of black money amounting to nearly 200 billion in Indian currency remains the hallmark of the tournament, which has just completed its sixth edition. The Indian government virtually got nothing out of this bonanza by way of legitimate taxes and yet stacked money has reached the coffers of political parties, reveals a knowledgeable source. Unfortunately, lack of media coverage has ensured that this corrupted underbelly can remain out of public glare inordinately. Nobody exactly knows why income tax and revenue intelligence investigators were prevented from taking the investigation on financial corruption perpetrated in previous premier league tournaments to its logical conclusion.
It is all the more intriguing, given serious allegations of money laundering and violation of foreign exchange management regulations are pending against BCCI and T20 league officials. So far, the board of cricket in India has successfully managed to keep the skeletons in the closet with able assistance pouring in from all quarters. It is an open secret that the big and glitzy post-match night parties have been the nodal point for match fixing in the T20 premier league. The escort and cheer girls hand over the fixing slips to players engrossed in alcohol and lady. But then nothing worthwhile has been done to put a bridle on this constellation of drugs, sex and big money. Meanwhile, cricket functionaries are busy preserving the haze that hangs over BCCI’s activity and the government is up to hoodwinking the general public by enacting a new anti-fixing law. Will such a statute at all curb the nexus between sports officials, politicians, players and underworld operators?
Seems difficult, especially when the BCCI remains on par with intelligence agencies so far as the right to secrecy is concerned and the judiciary wants to keep a safe distance from this mess. Above all, state patronization continues in full swing with the Indian Army and Air Force retaining selected members of the much maligned cricketing fraternity as brand ambassadors in an effort to supposedly lure honest and patriotic young bloods into the forces.
