BOMBAY, 14 January 2005 — Jagmohan Dalmiya has long been dogged by controversy. Time and again, his rivals have tried to dislodge him only to end up losers in the power game.
Earlier this week, one more proof was provided of the man’s tremendous resilience and tenacity of purpose, when the Supreme Court ruled that the last elections held in September of 2OO4 were valid to the very last vote. The verdict was a great triumph for Dalmiya, whose casting vote in favor of Ranbir Singh Mahendra and against the political heavyweight of Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar, was challenged in the apex court.
This casting vote has now been declared valid and the whole new committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India will have gained legitimacy barring just a formal adoption of a resolution. So Pawar, who lost by that casting vote, as much as his supporters, will have to resign themselves to their fate of having waged a futile battle against the powerful Dalmiya.
Whether they like it or not, they will have to accept the reality which is that Dalmiya is, at the present moment, close to being indispensable for the sake of not only Indian cricket, but also world cricket. His effort to be appointed as patron-in-chief of the BCCI, with powers to attend all international meetings, may have been kept on hold by the very same court verdict delivered early last week, but surely ways will be found to have him legally nominated to that new post.
That is because everyone knows his tremendous ability to take on the bigwigs of world cricket, come what may.
Dalmiya has won many battles which he fought when he was himself the chairman of the International Cricket Council, as also when he relinquished the post. Adverse opinions had to change to a lot of respect.
One can already see the changing views in the otherwise hostile foreign media.
In the British press, the ECB Chief Lord MacLaurin was pulled up for speaking out of turn and jumping rather prematurely into a recent controversy involving Indian players. “You cannot underestimate this man,” it warned him.
Only those who know Dalmiya, his reputation and his deeds, realize what he is worth to the cricketing world and what it means to cross swords with him. It was his sincere belief backed by all round effort that made the resumption of cricketing exchanges with Pakistan not only possible, but highly successful.
He achieved this in the face of hostile reaction to this move by several political parties. Needless to say, the success of last year’s tour has opened a whole wide gateway for the two countries to have exchanges of any number of events now. The Pakistani hockey players are being seen in action in India’s National Premier Hockey League. All this is due to the one big step forward began by Dalmiya.
All those who run Indian cricket must decide whether they want this man with a genius for ever enriching the game with money as well as wider participation of more and more countries.
He is the one who has made the Indian board the richest cricket body in the world. He does not need the BCCI, but BCCI needs him.
