Former India women' ufffds captain believes Indian cricket board officials acted swiftly because of pressure from the fourth estate
Former India women’s captain Diana Edulji has slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the wake of the spot fixing controversy.
Edulji emphasised yesterday that the focus should shift from men’s cricket to women’s cricket.
ADVERTISEMENT
Board of Control for Cricket in India president N Srinivasan during a media interaction in Kolkata on Sunday
“I have been asking the BCCI to give women’s cricket its due. After this incident, they should concentrate on it more. The incident has tarnished the image of the sport and I am really hurt. Till now, we heard only about foreign players (Pakistan, South Africa) being involved in such issues. This incident has spoilt BCCI’s global image,” she said at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s prize distribution function at the Wankhede Stadium.
Edulji reckoned that the media created immense pressure on the cricketing body and forced them to act swiftly. “The BCCI said that the whole issue was blown out of proportion by the media. I feel the BCCI is what they are today because of the media. There should be complete transparency from top to bottom in the Board. Also, the BCCI should come under the RTI Act. The Board is calling itself a private body, but the team represents the country and not the Board.
The sports ministry should have more power over the BCCI,” she said.
Edulji felt that India skipper M S Dhoni should have spoken about spot fixing during the pre-departure conference and tried to restore faith among the cricket-loving people. “Dhoni is an icon and also the skipper for India and Chennai Super Kings. I don’t think he should have avoided the spot fixing question. He could have consulted lawyers and answered the question in a diplomatic way. That could have brought down temperatures. By not answering the question, the matter was inflated in a big way. Just a simple line from him like, ‘have faith in us’ would have calmed down the issue a bit.”
Edulji, who was on the BCCI’s women’s committee, felt Srinivasan should quit: “I think he should step down in the interest of the country. It is impossible for him to be unaware of things his family member is involved in.”
The former Indian skipper stressed: “It’s time we confront what has happened and move ahead. There should be such strict laws by BCCI so that the younger generation doesn’t dare think about something like that.” u00a0
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
