Is BCCI neglecting cricket's attempt to become a global sport?
A few days back, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) rejected the Sports Ministry's request of fielding an Under-21 cricket team for the South Asian Games (SAG), to be held in January, 2016. The decision wasn't given much importance as the likes of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni wouldn't be participating at the event. However, the governing body's reluctance to send teams for multi-sporting events has become massively detrimental towards the growth of cricket at the international level.
The Board cited a packed 2015/16 calendar as the reason for not fielding a team. Due to this decision, cricket has been scrapped from the South Asian Games, despite all of our noisy neighbours agreeing to field strong teams.
According to a source within the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Board paid no attention to their request, even after being asked solely for an U-21 squad for representation. There might be a jam-packed calendar, but it would have given young cricketers a great platform to play against some of the top cricketers in the South Asian region.
The member, who chose to be anonymous told Sportskeeda, “This is now a huge problem for us as a lot of the Olympic Associations have protested because they had confirmed their participation.”
A meeting on September 10, to discuss the technical aspects of SAG brought up the 'cricket' issue. Earlier this month, the governing bodies of the participating nations met to discuss the progress of SAG in New Delhi and expressed their displeasure over the cancellation matter.
They went on to blame the IOA for not being able to convince the BCCI to even send a third string outfit.
Indian World Cup winner Sunil Valson told Sportskeeda, “Anytime you give exposure to young kids it's a good opportunity, they can go and play against the best. This will in turn help them garner some good experience. If this particular event was promising that, then it is an opportunity missed. But, until they (BCCI) disclose the reason why, we can't say anything.”
Possible reasons for BCCI’s reluctance in sending an Indian team to SAG
BCCI's claim of a packed calendar is negated by the fact that the Under-21 team is not scheduled to play in January. Only the senior team is set to tour Australia that month. This could have been used as a litmus test, to prove whether India's young guns can compete against the best.
According to the Tribune, a former BCCI official said that they are not willing to send a team, due to the WADA 'whereabouts' clause. He said, “The BCCI doesn’t follow the government’s stand on the anti-doping code. It has maintained that the WADA should drop the ‘whereabouts’ clause for Indian players, considering security and privacy concerns. By sending its cricketers to the SAG, the Board would be risking them to dope-testing as part of the international testing pool, “
The problematic clause basically states that players from the International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) may be tested at any time during one designated quarter (three months) of the year. The player has to report at any time for an hour every day during the period. If the player cannot make it to the test, he/she must notify WADA officials. However, if they fail to turn up for the test on the given time, a strike will be put across their name and three such strikes would mean a two-year suspension.
BCCI has been against this particular clause as it invades privacy and is against their ethics code, especially during off season. They have also stated that the system can easily catch athletes who are not used to being under an administration.
How cricket will help India at the Asian Games
This is not the first time that the world's richest governing body has decided against sending a team for a multi-sports event. Since cricket was introduced at the Asian Games in 2010, India is yet to field a side for an event which could bolster the sport's growth trajectory in the continent.
In 2014, the BCCI stated they will not send a team for the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, because of the Champions League T-20. However, only four IPL franchisees participated in the tournament. A 'C' team or a youth team could easily have been sent for the event.
The inaugural edition for cricket also saw no participation from India. The addition of two potential gold medals from the sport made countries such as South Korea and Japan take up cricket. These countries consistently garner more medals than us.
In 2010, South Korea (76 golds) finished second and Japan (48 golds) third, yet they put their best foot forward in attempting to win the cricket title. Then why is India reluctant in sending a team, when they finished sixth (14 golds) at the same edition? We have higher chances of adding to our existent medal tally, so that we move higher in the pecking order.
There was a similar case in 2014 – Japan and South Korea finished second and third, but India fell lower down the table to eighth, registering just 11 gold medals. The addition of two gold medals from cricket would have seen them climb to the sixth spot.
Indian cricket’s responsibility towards the sport
Indian cricket’s addition to Asia's biggest sporting extravaganza would've seen a massive TV viewership boost, which would have encouraged other nations from the continent to participate. The Asian Games only ranks second to the Olympics when it comes to Multi-sporting events viewership, and countries such Kuwait, Saudi Arabia would have poured in money to be a part of it.
The country's participation would have increased the talent level present, which indirectly would have created a fan base in countries where the sport is yet to penetrate.
Former Indian wicket-keeper, Surinder Khanna said, “We played in one of the Commonwealth Games tournament in Malaysia. So, why can’t we play in other such tournaments? This can help cricket spread its wings around the world, which the ICC also has been doing for so many years. T20 cricket is getting so popular amongst the masses and the participation in the SAG will only add to it.
“India, being a cricketing force, should come forward to spread the game. When our country is hosting the Games, I see the inclusion of cricket making much more sense because it will have widespread coverage.”
The BCCI earns close to 2.5 billion USD from the ICC for the 2015-2022 cycle. The money is enough justification for the board to take responsibility for cricket to become a global game. If they decide not do so, cricket's dream of one day being included at the Olympics will never become a reality.