BCCI shows its mean streak, again: Talkingpoint

One of the worst-kept secrets of the Indian cricket board's current regime has been its vindictive nature — whether in taking on former servants of the game who question their authority or administrators belonging to the rival camp. However, the mean streak they showed the other day in keeping Kapil Dev and Kirti Azad out of a list of beneficiaries of a one-time financial package from their Indian Premier League (IPL) profits was disgusting — to say the least!

It was a bright idea at the outset to think of handing over a decent financial award from the millions they have made from the IPL, for the awardees included some of the names whose contribution to the evolution of Indian cricket has often got smudged with time.

Ajit Wadekar, the former Indian skipper, was the one who gave India the first taste of a Test series win abroad; Nari Contractor, who was felled by a Charlie Griffith bouncer during a West Indies tour in the 1960s; or Anshuman Gaekwad would be unanimous choices for any honour the board chooses to shower them with.

However, it all evens out somewhere, with the board's high-handed attitude to overlook Dev and even Azad. While it's understandable the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would not like to share the stage with someone like Mohammad Azharuddin because of his life ban for his alleged role in corruption in the game, it's difficult to see any maturity in carrying on the acrimony with a legend like Dev for his role in the now defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) or "punishing" Azad for his public stance against the IPL.

Tough situation

Maybe the board was wary they would suffer a huge loss of face if Dev had turned down their "offer" — for they had made no sincere efforts to mend the fences with the former captain, even after systematically killing off the ICL.

Where they bungled was when one of their senior officials offering a ludicrous explanation that he was not "considered" because he did not take "amnesty" along with the other players and officials of the rebel league offered in 2009.

If they had found Dev's ego too big to handle, the cold shouldering of someone like Azad smacks of nothing more than pettiness. Azad, an MP of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took to fasting against IPL earlier this week more as a political gimmick and would have faced a moral dilemma to accept the money — but the BCCI machinery was not willing to give him a chance.

Playing the true politician, Azad has now hit back — saying the board may not give him the money, but cannot "take away" the World Cup from him. Incidentally, Azad was a member of the Kapil's Devils which won the World Cup in 1983.

The message the BCCI has sent out with this action is once again loud and clear: fall in line or else...