Bat with the broom

Bat with the broom

It's official then, isn't it? Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. In these deeply divided political climes, only in the realm of cricket could the leader of the opposition have endorsed a Central government initiative. But even as Sonia Gandhi welcomes Union Sports Minister S.S. Dhindsa's decision to call in the CBI to probe charges of match-fixing in Indian cricket, even as every other fanatic fan conjures visions of a resuscitated, cleansed cricket establishment, a word of caution is in order. Given the slew of allegations of wrongdoing that are swirling around, sifting the wheat from the chaff is imperative. And given the depressing fiasco Justice Chandrachud's 75-page report turned out to be, it is only right that further investigations have been handed over to the CBI. The retired judge's apologists had argued that his commission of inquiry had no powers to force anyone to depose before him; the CBI will not be hindered in any such manner.

That said, one must ask, what exactly is the scope of the CBI investigation? What are the charges that will be probed? Allegations, ranging from the very credible to the most outrageous, have been appearing in the print media, on news bulletins on television, on sundry sites on the Internet faster than is humanly possible to keep track of. Will all of these merit attention by CBI sleuths? In that case, they may have their work cut out for weeks and months to come, but much of it may amount to chasing chimeras. It may also result in a ``talking-heads story'', as Chandrachud's report has been uncharitably labelled that is, a mere he-said-she-said compilation of opinion. Hence, if the promise of a time-bound inquiry with a clear-cut verdict is to be delivered, a list of the more serious, and the more realistic, allegations would have to be compiled. Certainly, the obvious leads are there. For example, Manoj Prabhakar's now long-drawn-out tale of the Rs 25 lakh he was once offered must be probed, as also thetapes the Mumbai Police reportedly have in their possession and, of course, the Delhi Police's evidence indicting certain bookmakers. In this context, it would be pertinent to refer to an apprehension being voiced that the CBI investigation may be player-centric and may not suitably explore any possible nexus between bookmakers and cricket officials. It is a worry that must be heeded if the probe is to be fair, and if the game is to be rid of the muck.

But is a CBI inquiry enough to rescue Indian cricket? It may ensure that at least some of the guilty are accorded appropriate punishment, but it is no substitute for the mismanagement that so evidently plagues the sport. It will definitely not tackle the petty politics that underpins team selection and tour schedules. It will not counter the adverse effects of the mystifying pronouncements of folk like J.Y. Lele, who either predict doom for the Indian XI or label all developments as "rubbish". And it will not make an ever greedy BCCI devote attention and resources to domestic cricket. Now that the broom has been taken out of the closet, the scope of the clean-up has to be widened.