What's bigger than the BCCI’s coffers? The BCCI Committee of Administrators’ ego. It has been 14 days since cricketers Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul were suspended for their comments, which were deemed crass and sexist, on a popular TV chat show and there appears to be no resolution to the matter. The tussle within the Supreme Court-appointed two-member CoA -- comprising chairman Vinod Rai and former woman cricketer Diana Edulji -- is only compounding the issue, much to the detriment of Indian cricket. There is no justification for the two cricketers' remarks about women and they needed to be disciplined appropriately. But it is in nobody's interest to play with their young careers. They have been suspended, recalled from the tour and shamed beyond their guilt, but neither the BCCI old guard nor the CoA seems interested in ending the logjam. While Rai wanted to put the two erring players back on park after an inquiry by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, Edulji, whose only motive at this point seems to be to disagree with whatever her colleague suggests, shot down the idea and instead demanded that the case be referred to the Board's legal cell, which promptly advised suspension of the duo pending an inquiry by an independent ombudsman under section 41 of the BCCI’s constitution, which deals with misconduct or indiscipline by any player, umpire, team official, selector or any person associated with the BCCI.
The problem, though, is that the BCCI doesn't have an ombudsman at the moment, thanks to ego clashes between the CoA and the old guard. Such erratic handling of the case has put the careers of two cricketers in their mid-20s in cold storage. While the CoA's earnest effort to discipline the two cricketers is justified, some thought should have gone into how it approached the matter. Punishing them is one thing, putting their entire careers in jeopardy is quite another. Ever since CoA has taken over the BCCI administration, it has done more harm to Indian cricket than any good. And their latest step has the potential to upset the Indian team's preparation for the World Cup in May.
Pandya lends crucial balance to the side with his all-round skills and skipper Virat Kohli has said the Baroda player's absence was affecting the team combination. Pandya has played just one Ranji Trophy match in nearly four months. His staying away from action indefinitely isn't going to help the team's cause. Rahul and Pandya have tendered apologies, missed the ODI series in Australia and the ongoing series against New Zealand and have learnt their lesson the hard way. They should have been with the team by now. The ugly infighting within the CoA, however, has made their future uncertain.