Meet Avishek Dalmiya, man at the helm of Eden of cricket with a big legacy to follow
Son of the legendary administrator and CAB president opens up on his future plans
Kolkata: Avishek Dalmiya, who took over as the youngest president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) exactly two years back, was no star son - but the pressure on him to perform was no less. After all, he was on way to inherit the legacy of one of the most influential surnames in Indian and world cricket administration.
Two years down the line, the 39-year-old son of late Jagmohan Dalmiya has certainly come out of the litmus test unscathed. There are several to-dos on his list, but Dalmiya jr’s biggest challenge had been to steer one of the most influential state cricket bodies through the trying times of a pandemic, keep the morale high of his 100-odd affiliate member clubs and cricketers - apart from looking at the bigger picture of revenue generation at a time when there was no cricket.
‘‘Yes, the last two years have been really difficult on all fronts. As you may be aware, during my father’s second tenure as the BCCI president, the ICC allotted three global events to India. The T20 World Cup in 2016 was a big success but then the World T20 of 2021 had to be shifted overseas due to Covid-19 and we lost out on the opportunity of getting quite a few matches. Our previous dues were stuck with the BCCI due to the Lodha Commission - something which has however eased out now,’’ a candid Avishek said on the sidelines of the T20I series at his backyard.
Trying to catch up with the helmsman of a state hosting body in the middle of international fixtures is always a tricky business, but ‘Mickey’ - as he is popular among his core group of officials some of whom have worked with his dad as well - has grown well into the role over the last five years. He has had a good period of internship though - first with his father at growing up years at home and then with Sourav Ganguly when they formed a team of president and joint secretary at the CAB for three years.
Speaking to Gulf News during an exclusive interview, Dalmiya jr revealed a huge sense of relief at the Eden hosting three T20Is this week but felt it’s high time to revamp the hallowed turf to bring it upto speed with the newer venues of the country. ‘‘Apart from the glorious history, we also had a number of firsts to our name in the country. Eden was the first venue to host a ICC World Cup final in 1987 while we also hosted first day-night games in the country with the Hero Cup in 1993. However, time has taken it’s toll on the facilities and more importantly, the floodlights have to be changed into LED ones,’’ he pointed out.
‘‘We also need to improve the interiors at the Eden while two blocks need complete overhaul. This apart, we have taken up a number of proposals to add new grounds with international specifications about sizes. Some of the grounds in the Maidan, where we play domestic league matches are small with very short square boundaries and this is an impediment in bringing up quality cricketers,’’ an animated Avishek said.
Incidentally, it was his father’s diplomatic skills in rallying around the other boards of the sub-continent which helped him win two World Cups for the region in ICC meetings, while it was his vision to realise the potential of revenue generation from selling TV rights which set up the roadmap for cricket’s financial windfall. His roles in filling up the coffers of BCCI as well as the ICC, apart from giving birth to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has been also legendary.
Apart from the glorious history, we also had a number of firsts to our name in the country. Eden was the first venue to host a ICC World Cup final in 1987 while we also hosted first day-night games in the country with the Hero Cup in 1993. However, time has taken it’s toll on the facilities and more importantly, the floodlights have to be changed into LED ones
Asked about the blueprint to raise the resources for such a major overhaul at the Eden, Avishek said: ‘‘We have got the approval of our working committee to take new life membership. Since we cannot increase the inventory, we will have 3000 members now for a fee of Rs 100,000 and this will raise Rs 30-35 crores (US $ 4.5 million). There will also be a grant from BCCI and we start on the planning soon,’’ he said.
The choc-a-bloc international calendar these days makes it a tough ask to squeeze in the odd international fixture, but the CAB has been mulling with the idea of using their good offices with the BCCI to stage an event involving neighbours Bangladesh to raise funds for the stadium. ‘‘Yes, we had plans to host a India-Bangladesh series on the 50th year of their independence but then, we thought Corona will go away in two months. However, I can’t speak ahead of turn and let’s see how things pan out,’’ he said.
After the death of his father in 2015, Avishek and his elder sister have taken over the reins of their family construction business. Time-management, he admits, is a major issue and this is what his take is on finding the right balance: ‘‘Frankly, I am very poor at time-management and I don’t have a routine. However, I keep very late hours and keep all my written work for night as there are no phone calls or distractions then. I understand that the family life is important but when you are holding a position in public life, you have to sacrifice a bit,’’ he said.
Finally, when does one see him graduating to the ranks of BCCI? Right now, his primary concern is the state body, and the only brush he has had with the apex body is a term as in charge of the affairs of North-East for the board. However, time is on his side and it won’t be surprising to see him there in future!