Sunil Gavaskar

The unceremonious manner in which Sunil Gavaskar has been dumped from the affairs of the Indian Premier League does not augur well for the spirit of the game, as Sunil Gavaskar has been one of the finest ambassadors of the game of cricket who has done more than all the officials put together to spread the spirit of the game around the world. The little master has taken the blow on his chin and has decided to take the world in his stride, the brand slogan of the suiting and shirting that he endorsed, and he has not lost his sense of humor as was evident from the commentary that he was doing on the first day of the test match at Mohali between India and Australia.

Is there any such parallel from across the world where cricket icons of the stature like Sunil Gavaskar are treated by the board? There is no such incident and the insensitive manner in which the whole affair has been dealt with by the cricket board speaks volumes about the care that it has for the players who earn the revenue for the Board of Cricket Control in India. Surprisingly enough, not a single voice from the cricket fraternity has arisen in support of Sunil Gavaskar from any corner of the country.

If one were to put things in perspective, Sunil Gavaskar through his columns and through his commentary has been advocating from introduction of accountability in the game of the cricket and has also been advising and suggesting to the board to inject impartiality in its operations to make the game as transparent as can be possible. Has he paid the price for the same? It seems that indeed he has paid the price, and board also seems to have issued the warning that a player, if he questions the authority of the board, be ready to meet the same fate as has been delivered to Sunil Gavaskar.

There indeed is something murky going on and by removing Sunil Gavaskar from the IPL board seems to have tried to nip the controversy in the bud. Other players of the fraternity have also not raised the voice as they do not want their apple cart to be disturbed.

But the moot point is that the game is bigger than the authorities and the authorities draw their power from the performance of the players. In fitness of things therefore, minimum the board should do is to tell the world why Sunny Bhai was kicked out. This is the minimum that the man deserves, based on his monumental contribution to the game.

Tags: Ambassador, BCCI, Board of Cricket Control in India, Cricket, Cricket Board, India, Indian Premier League, IPL, Sunil Gavaskar