They served the game and the country with credit, and now they are at the helm of affairs at the Karnataka State Cricket Association. Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, along with a group of first class cricketers are now managing the KSCA affairs. Rahul Dravid, another creditable and top notch Indian batsman is also part of the team that manages KSCA.
Individuals who know them well personally, have no hesitation in vouching for their integrity and intent. It is with good intent that these cricketers have stepped into the administrative aspect of the game. As cricketers, they are bound to go through a huge learning curve. Good management skills are not traits people are born with but come through experience and time. Anil and company will need time to master the administrative act. Even the best of corporate managers makes mistakes.
The biggest challenge for Anil and his team would have been hosting the recent CWC game between India and England, and the problems that came along with this rescheduled game are too well known to be repeated here. Quite simply, the magnitude of the challenge they had was so acute that even the registered official umpires of KSCA had to forgo their passes for the recent game. That is a telling statement of the reality of the situation that these gentlemen had to manage.
The feelings of all those who couldn't watch the game at the stadium is understandable. There would have been errors and omissions on the part of Anil and team, there would have been shortcomings but these would not have been with intent.
Aggrieved at being not given the number of passes demanded, Bangalore TOI seems to be on warpath against the KSCA. Pictures showing a flooded ground, showcasing comments of those who didn't get tickets, the lathi charge incident down to front page showcasing of the Karnataka MLA's demands for an inquiry and the selection team changes, TOI seems to be on a journey of vendetta to discredit Kumble and company.
Anyone elected to any position in our society has to win support and garner votes. There is no taking away the strong possibility that Anil and Company would have had to strike deals with 'vote banks' in their journey to gain power to manage KSCA. These are ills that cannot be wished away, and won't go away easily either. But how do we establish good governance unless we are in a position to be in power? Anil and company are there today, and they may have committed some administrative errors. But the time is for them to be given the support and backing to help them achieve their larger goals and ambitions for the game and for the association.
How do we do this? Merely voicing our thoughts on forums would have little impact. Strength comes from numbers and a collective voice is the loudest.
How do we help Anil & Co?
1. Join this 'voice' to extend your support. Please subscribe to this blog.
2. Please list your point or detail your thoughts without a worry.
3. Specifically, tell your experiences if you had been to Chinnaswamy Stadium for the recent CWC game. What were the good experiences, what experiences were not good.
4. Convey to Anil and company, what would you like to see in future.
This is a call to all cricket lovers in Bangalore and also beyond Bangalore to come together to strengthen the hands of Anil and Company. Let us not worry how we get the tickets for the next game, just let us put our personal needs aside and make a contribution to help build a great association, which can tomorrow become a model association!
