Ravi Shastri does not mince words. “I’ve always spoken my mind just the way I played my cricket,” says the former India captain and coach, here as a commentator, celebrating India’s fabulous cricket journey, now 500 Tests old.
“It’s been a truly remarkable journey. If you ask me until the 1970s India was not playing too many Test matches but the Board did an exceptional job of retaining the game’s interest among the fans.
“The Board brought some great cricket teams in the history to India and we could get to see so many legends showcase their skills.
“The spectators were always engaged in watching the best of the world in action. Cricket was nurtured by the Board so beautifully,” he said as he reflected on India’s love for cricket.
Turning pointThe 1983 World Cup, Shastri reiterated, was the turning point.
“It was a massive statement for India’s cricket. The World Championship of Cricket win was big too.
These two great victories propelled the Board’s efforts to carry on the legacy. India kept producing class cricketers until television telecast exploded in 1992 and brought in huge money into the game.
“Today it has become a multi-million dollar small scale industry,” said Shastri.
India produced heroes in different eras — C.K. Nayudu, Mushtaq Ali, Lala Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi, G.R. Viswanath, Kapil Dev. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag.
The future also promised a lot, said Shastri.
“People will watch Tests as long as the team does well and you have icons to show the way. Virat Kohli is the game’s best ambassador and I trust him to scale greater heights.”
He was, however, concerned at the way the game was heading because of the confrontation between the Board and the judiciary.
Giving his views on the Lodha Committee recommendations, Shastri said, “Eighty per cent of what Justice Lodha has recommended for transparency, proper governance and administration in BCCI, is most welcome.
“But everything can’t be bad about the BCCI. It is one of the best run and self-supporting sports organisations in the world.
“In India it is the best. But there are certain recommendations that can be detrimental to the running of the game.”
Asked to elaborate, Shastri observed, “To begin with the cooling off period. Why would anyone want to join the administration if he is to be stopped after three years? Don’t we have the President and the Prime Minister serving a five-year term?
“Then why three years in BCCI? You would have to pay those who want to serve the game well. If you pay peanuts you would get monkeys only.
“The three-year cooling off period is like taking two steps forward and three steps back.
“If there has to be a cooling off I think best would be after six years. But then I was never interviewed by Justice Lodha for me to make these points earlier.”
Shastri also felt the three-selector recommendation was impractical because of the size of the country.
“I had once thought three selectors would be fine but then today we have cricket being played in three formats. You have to watch a lot of cricket and there is the zonal system also.
Need five selectors“If you have just three selectors in my opinion they would be flying all over the country and collecting air miles. We need five selectors for doing justice to the job.”
Shastri concluded, “There is no substitute for experience. We have two stalwarts who would give some young administrators a run for their money.
“We must use the experience for the progress of cricket. If you ask me, all issues can be ironed out by dialogue.”
