Betrayal of a billion hearts
December 4, 2023
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • International
  • More
    • G20
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Politics
    • Vocal4Local
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
MAGAZINE
No Result
View All Result
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • International
  • More
    • G20
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Politics
    • Vocal4Local
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • G20
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • International Edition
  • RSS in News
  • Magazine
Home General

Betrayal of a billion hearts

by
Jun 8, 2013, 12:00 am IST
in General
FacebookTwitterWhatsAppTelegramEmail

What is ailing Indian cricket?

Pranjit Agarwala

The sensational revelations in the IPL scandal are taking a new turn every day. After hitting the BCCI chief N Srinivasan, the focus of investigation has reached Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals. Delhi Police has already grilled her husband Raj Kundra. He has been told not to leave the country until the probe is over.
Match-fixing is not new in the world of sports as it was prevalent even in ancient Greece where the Olympics were first held. However today it has become more intricate with two kinds of match-fixing. The first is motivated by money and involves bookmakers and gamblers and requires contacts and money transfers between bookmakers, players, team officials or referees. This is a criminal act and punishable under the law. Matches that are deliberately lost not under the influence of betting, but to gain an advantage in the later rounds of a competition is a strategy commonly practiced by many teams or individual players. This is known as tanking. Even though tanking is not illegal if discovered it can lead to disqualification. Sports history is replete with instances of match-fixing of both varieties in all the major disciplines and sporting tournaments held around the world, including the Olympics. In comparison till the 1990s cricket had remained relatively free from fixing or any major scandal.
In first class cricket Surrey wicketkeeper Ted Pooley was the first cricketer to be suspended for “selling a match” against Yorkshire in 1873. He also became the first Test cricketer to be arrested for betting when he toured Australia with England in 1876/77. Match-fixing became an endemic feature of cricket, particularly in the sub-continent, only with the advent of One Day cricket (ODI) and the simultaneous explosion of viewership with the rapid expansion of the television and telecommunications network in the country. With India winning the World Cup in 1983, Pakistan in 1992, Sri Lanka in 1996 and Bangladesh gaining Test status, cricket became a sub-continental obsession with India as the dominant force both on and off the field. With the introduction of T20 cricket the practice of spot fixing became prevalent. And with the extravaganza of the Indian Premier League (IPL) the once staid game of cricket became a glamour sport and a money-spinner particularly for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which has become one of the richest sports bodies in the world. Practically, the control of international cricket also shifted from cricket’s sanctum sanctorum Lord’s, London to the BCCI’s headquarters: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
On the positive side the clout, money and popularity has helped develop Indian cricket at the grass-root level. On the downside an unhealthy trend has set in that threatens the credibility of the game. Match-fixing first surfaced in India in 1997 when Manoj Prabhakar alleged that no less a person than Kapil Dev had offered him $53,000/= (25 Lakhs) to underperform in a match against Pakistan in 1994. However in its enquiry the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) exonerated Kapil Dev. What shocked the nation was former South African skipper Hansie Cronje’s disclosures in 2000 that Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and Pakistan’s Salim Malik had links with several Indian bookmakers and were involved in match-fixing. After that skeletons tumbled out with several international players being implicated. Moreover the CBI in a report while condemning the role of the BCCI revealed that even some umpires and grounds-men were accepting bribes to give out pitch information or prepare pitches to influence results. Such revelations have robbed cricket of its charm as a game of glorious uncertainties. Now during a match any event against the run of play, like a sudden batting collapse or a miraculous recovery, immediately raises suspicions of fixing,  inviting skepticism even for genuinely outstanding performances.
The IPL has been dogged by controversies ever since its inception in 2008. From players, officials and umpires misconduct, misappropriation of funds, money laundering, nepotism to match and spot fixing the IPL has earned a reputation more for showbiz and racketeering than cricket. But to its credit it has been able to unearth new talent and increase India’s bench strength in the T20 format by exposing domestic cricketers to international competition.
According to a top Mumbai bookie the centre of match-fixing is Dubai and betting syndicates are controlled by Dawood Ibrahim’s “D” company. Moreover there is an unwritten law that betting for any India/Pakistan match is the monopoly of “D” company. Dawood’s influence also extends to the players. Therefore it is futile to expect fixing to be uprooted just by introducing a new law considering that India’s legal system and law enforcing agencies have failed to nab or curb Dawood in two decades.
Besides much more needs to be done to clean Indian sports if the country’s inherent sporting talent is to grow to its full potential. Sports administration and sports bodies must be freed from the clutches of powerful politicians, influential bureaucrats, industrial tycoons and business magnates. Experts and professionals in sports management/administration and players must be allowed to head sports organisations and conduct their administration. But the incumbent nexus has so much clout that even senior international players, sympathetic politicians and administrators are afraid to speak out lest their careers are ruined.

ShareTweetSendShareSend
Previous News

Delaying the Unavoidable

Next News

It is wholesale loot under UPA?Dr MM Joshi

Related News

Chhattisgarh: Prominent names, including state president and ministers defeated as Congress loses tribal heartland 

Chhattisgarh: Prominent names, including state president and ministers defeated as Congress loses tribal heartland 

BJP Sweeps Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Key points as lotus blooms fully in the desert State

BJP Sweeps Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Key points as lotus blooms fully in the desert State

Telangana State Election Results 2023: Key highlights and political developments

Telangana State Election Results 2023: Key highlights and political developments

PM Modi lauds BJP’s win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh; credits people’s faith in development politics

PM Modi lauds BJP’s win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh; credits people’s faith in development politics

Telangana, only solace for Congress as it trounces BRS: Can empty hand deliver?BJP’s vote share increases

Telangana, only solace for Congress as it trounces BRS: Can empty hand deliver?BJP’s vote share increases

“Mahant Balaknath emerges victorious in Tijara, labelled as the ‘Yogi of Rajasthan'”

“Mahant Balaknath emerges victorious in Tijara, labelled as the ‘Yogi of Rajasthan'”

Load More

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Chhattisgarh: Prominent names, including state president and ministers defeated as Congress loses tribal heartland 

Chhattisgarh: Prominent names, including state president and ministers defeated as Congress loses tribal heartland 

BJP Sweeps Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Key points as lotus blooms fully in the desert State

BJP Sweeps Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: Key points as lotus blooms fully in the desert State

Telangana State Election Results 2023: Key highlights and political developments

Telangana State Election Results 2023: Key highlights and political developments

PM Modi lauds BJP’s win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh; credits people’s faith in development politics

PM Modi lauds BJP’s win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh; credits people’s faith in development politics

Telangana, only solace for Congress as it trounces BRS: Can empty hand deliver?BJP’s vote share increases

Telangana, only solace for Congress as it trounces BRS: Can empty hand deliver?BJP’s vote share increases

“Mahant Balaknath emerges victorious in Tijara, labelled as the ‘Yogi of Rajasthan'”

“Mahant Balaknath emerges victorious in Tijara, labelled as the ‘Yogi of Rajasthan'”

BJP’s victory recipe in Madhya Pradesh: ‘Modi ki guarantee’ & ‘Mama par vishwas’ led party towards thumping majority

BJP’s victory recipe in Madhya Pradesh: ‘Modi ki guarantee’ & ‘Mama par vishwas’ led party towards thumping majority

Telangana CM KCR resigns as CM but sends resignation letter through OSD, an act of arrogance 

Telangana CM KCR resigns as CM but sends resignation letter through OSD, an act of arrogance 

Telangana Election Results 2023: Katipally Venkata Ramana Reddy emerges as giant-killer, defeats KCR and Revanth Reddy 

Telangana Election Results 2023: Katipally Venkata Ramana Reddy emerges as giant-killer, defeats KCR and Revanth Reddy 

Chhattisgarh’s former CM Raman Singh hails BJP’s win as ‘lotus’ is all set to bloom in the tribal heartland

Chhattisgarh’s former CM Raman Singh hails BJP’s win as ‘lotus’ is all set to bloom in the tribal heartland

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Policy
  • Refund and Cancellation
  • Delivery and Shipping

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • North America
    • South America
    • Europe
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Entertainment
  • More ..
    • Sci & Tech
    • Vocal4Local
    • Special Report
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Law
    • Economy
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
  • Subscribe Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Policies & Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Refund and Cancellation
    • Terms of Use

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies