In his resignation letter, the historian raises questions on several instances of conflict of interest.
Ramachandra Guha. Credit: Wikimedia
New Delhi: Historian Ramachandra Guha on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that he would be resigning from the Committee of Administrators for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). In a June 2 letter to CoA chairman Vinod Rai, Guha has listed seven reasons for his decision.
In the letter, Guha says a number of practices followed by the BCCI raises questions of conflict of interest and goes against the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. He writes that he had flagged these issues a number of times but no action had been taken.
Guha writes that the BCCI gives preferential treatment to some national coaches, which allows them to work as IPL coaches as well. “The more famous the former player-turned-coach, the more likely was the BCCI to allow him to draft his own contract,” he writes.
The “super syndrome” of awarding contracts to the Indian team was seen when M.S. Dhoni was given an ‘A’ contract after he had ruled himself out from test matches, says Guha.
One reason, Guha says, is the BCCI’s handling of Anil Kumble, the current head coach of the senior team, under whom India has performed very well. “… Even if the players garner the bulk of the credit, surely the Head Coach and his support staff also get some,” Guha writes.
Kumble’s one-year contract expires at the end of the Champion’s Trophy in mid-June. The BCCI on May 25 put out an advertisement asking candidates to apply for the role on or before May 31, amidst speculations that the decision to not extend Kumble’s contract was based on feedback from Virat Kohli who said Kumble’s coaching method was “intimidating”.
Ram Guha’s letter to the court by The Wire on Scribd
Ram Guha’s letter to Vinod Rai by The Wire on Scribd